Lost window - Cecilia Gallerani

Lost Window

The image on the left is a reproduction of the background depiction by Cecilia Gallerani, which has since been lost. When Leonardo painted portraits like this, it was his custom to paint only the area of the figure's head in a vertical square, with arched openings on either side of it.

It is likely that this painting originally had a background with a similar composition, but perhaps because the depiction was unfinished, it has now been completely painted black, making it completely unclear what was originally depicted.

It has been investigated several times, but no windows or other objects have been found in the background, which seems quite mysterious.

Portrait of Cecilia Gallerani

Oil on walnut, 55 x 40.5cm Cracow, Muzem Narodove, Czartoryski Collection

Although the provenance of this painting is unclear, it is now recognized as a work by Leonardo without a doubt.

The painting is very detailed and detailed for Leonardo, proving that he was quite devoted to painting at this time. In particular, the careful attention to detail in the painting, including Cecilia's hands and the scaly ... I feel that Leonardo's characteristic of adding exaggeration and painting the way he wants to paint is not suitable for realism.

In addition to this realism, a portrait also requires the ability to sense how the model wants to be painted. And ultimately, the ability to combine all of these into one work of art is also required, so portrait painting is a very difficult job.

Looking at this painting from the perspective of realism in portraits, I feel that it is put together safely overall. I have not seen Cecilia in person, so I cannot say for sure, but it does seem to be painted with a certain degree of realism.

To be more specific, it is the thinness of the face. The overall shape of this face gives the impression of being narrower than the female figures that Leonardo usually paints. In addition, the bridge of the nose is slightly more angular than usual, and the jaw line is also steep and quite sharp.

These slightly different characteristics from the female figures that Leonardo usually paints show traces of Leonardo's attempt to capture the model realistically.