Print of Leonardo da Vinci - Portrait of a Lady or La belle ferronniere - 1490-1495
Leonardo da Vinci - Portrait of an unknown woman or La belle ferronnière
Year: 1490-1495 - oil on panel 45x63 cm
Preserved at: Louvre Museum, Paris, France.
Portrait of a Lady or La belle ferronnière is a painting by Leonardo da Vinci which dates back to his first stay in Milan.
La belle ferronnière literally means "the beautiful wife of a hardware merchant" but perhaps "Ferronnière" refers to the ribbon or chain with a jewel that surrounds the forehead, a typical ornament of the time (the jewel was named after Madame Ferron, a lover of Francis I of France).
For many, the lady portrayed belonged to the court of Ludovico il Moro (perhaps his mistress Lucrezia Crivelli or even Cecilia Gallerani).
La Belle Ferronnière wears a dress with a rectangular neckline equipped, according to the fashion of the time, with removable and interchangeable sleeves, tied by laces that show the puffs of the white shirt underneath. At the neck she has a thin two-tone necklace and on the forehead a thin thread that holds the hair in place and shows a small ruby set in the center.
