Portrait of Isabella d'Este (Leonardo)

Portrait of Isabella d'Este
ArtistLeonardo da Vinci
Yearc. 1499–1500
MediumBlack and red chalk, yellow pastel chalk on paper
Dimensions61 cm × 46.5 cm (24 in × 18.3 in)
LocationLouvre, Paris

The Portrait of Isabella d'Este is a drawing (and possible painting) by Leonardo da Vinci which was executed between 1499 and 1500. It depicts Isabella d'Este, Marchioness of Mantua. During the Italian Wars of 1499–1504, the French invaded Italy which caused Leonardo to flee from Milan to Mantua. There he had met Isabella, where she commissioned her portrait from him.[1] Whether Leonardo completed the portrait is unknown. There is evidence through letters of the time that he held a fully completed painting of her, but they are vague in describing it. It is possible that the painting was lost to time or that it was, in fact, never completed at all. A version of the portrait in oils on canvas was found in a collection in Switzerland in 2015, but it has yet to be verified.[2]

References

  1. ^ "Portrait of Isabella d'Este by Leonardo da Vinci". www.leonardo-da-vinci.net. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  2. ^ "Leonardo da Vinci experts identify painting as lost Isabella D'Este portrait". The Guardian. 4 October 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2022.