The authenticity of the portrait of Ginevra de' Benci

 

The portrait of Ginevra de' Benci, housed at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., is famous as the museum's most important collection.

It's been advertised as the only Leonardo work in the Americas, which is a bit tiresome. Her cold, sullen face makes it even harder to get used to the painting.

The museum advertises that it is definitely a genuine Leonardo work after an exaggerated investigation and research, but I'm not sure how much we can trust an investigation by people connected to the museum. When money is involved, anyone will say anything.

Although it has been criticized a lot, I feel that there is a good chance that this painting is a work by Leonardo. However, I believe that what Leonardo painted is not the drawing that is currently visible on the surface, but the sketch that is probably hidden underneath it.

I think that Leonardo actually abandoned this painting at an early stage of the sketch stage and entrusted the completion of this painting to another artist.

One would hope that the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., would have the wisdom to remove the top layer of the painting to search for traces of Leonardo, but that would likely be a bit too much for them to handle, and it would take centuries for them to achieve that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

National Gallery of Art　（The data and evidence that determined it was a Leonardo work should be disclosed.）
http://www.nga.gov/

Susan Dorothea White　（Susan's reconstruction of Ginebra）
www.susandwhite.com.au

Art History News
http://arthistorynewsreport.