This month for Art talk we are looking at the National Gallery of Art [Highlight tour](https://peakd.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-nga-highlights-tour). This week we are going to highlight one of the paintings from this tour-- **Ginevra de’ Benci**. 

In talking about Ginevra de’ Benci, Curator of Italian Painting David Brown said,
> It’s been **our most celebrated Italian work** from the moment it was acquired in 1967, not only because of it’s rarity, but because, I think, Leonardo really speaks to us today, with his fascination with innovation, and his combined interests in science, technology and art. [1](https://soundcloud.com/nationalgalleryofart/assets-audio-stops-en-313)

https://photos.smugmug.com/Blog/n-XgPR3X/Art-Talk/National-Gallery/Highlights-Tour/i-zvN4kFm/0/bb047d3a/XL/032DSC00474-XL.jpg
*Leonardo Da Vinci
Ginevra de Benci, 1474*
*National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC*


Ginevra de Benci is definitely a highlight of the National Gallery of Art. 

Why? 


There are only 19 paintings by Leonardo da Vinci in existence.

Leonardo created it when he was only 22 years old.

Leonardo chose to pose Ginevra in the newly popular three-quarter view, showing us more of her features, and more of her personality.

Leonardo’s portrait, wonderful as it is, is actually only a fragment.

Leonardo used oil instead of tempera, which allowed for a much more fluid and flexible handling of the paint.

Leonardo placed her in an open setting at a time when women were still shown carefully sheltered within the walls of their family homes, with landscapes glimpsed only through open windows.

The reported $5 million price tag was the largest sum ever paid for a work of art until that time (1967).

Sources [1](https://soundcloud.com/nationalgalleryofart/assets-audio-stops-en-313) and [2](https://www.nga.gov/research/in-depth/provenance-study-princely-collections-liechtenstein.html) and [5](https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.50724.html)
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https://steemitimages.com/DQmaGiJ5Exn5zL4cJEFVahrn96ozJ8bVTWeXhqznp28SYy2/19.png

My first introduction to Ginevra was in 2001 when I moved to Washington, DC. 

https://photos.smugmug.com/Blog/n-XgPR3X/Art-Talk/National-Gallery/Italian-Renissance-/i-jtMQdzb/0/d6c8a687/XL/034DSC00480-XL.jpg
Sara Jarvie with Ginevra de Benci in 2012


The first exhibit I saw in the gallery was **Virtue and Beauty**. It was curated by David Brown and ran September 2001- January 2002 with an attendance of 171,926. [3](https://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2001/ginevra.html)

This beautiful portrait caught my attention and I have been back to the gallery numerous times during the 6 years I lived in DC and each year in the 13 years that I have lived in Arizona. This is the first year I have not visited DC and therefore the first year I have not gone to the National Gallery of Art and visited Ginevra. 

One of the things that was most intriguing is that this is a double sided portrait.  

https://photos.smugmug.com/Blog/n-XgPR3X/Art-Talk/National-Gallery/Italian-Renissance-/i-JfZgP2g/0/f0b1336a/L/033DSC00475-L.jpg



From the Virtue and Beauty Exhibition PDF we learn that, 
>The front side portrays the soberly dressed young woman in a landscape, while the back depicts a wreath of laurel and palm encircling a sprig of juniper. Entwined around the plants is a scroll with a Latin inscription meaning "Beauty Adorns Virtue." The fact that the wreath is truncated at the bottom indicates that the panel, now measuring about fifteen inches square, was cut down in the past. (page 143) [4](https://www.nga.gov/content/dam/ngaweb/research/publications/pdfs/virtue-and-beauty.pdf)



Another interesting thing to note is the red seal in the top left corner. David Brown tells us, 

>the red wax seal in the upper right corner shows that it belonged to the princes of Liechtenstein for more than 200 years." [1](https://soundcloud.com/nationalgalleryofart/assets-audio-stops-en-313)

In June I did an Art Talk post [Provenance](https://peakd.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-provenance) about the fascinating history and ownership of Raphael's Alba Madonna. 

The Provenance of Ginevra de’ Benci is fascinating too. John Walker, then director of the Gallery, describes his first encounter with Ginevra, owned since the early 18th century by the princes of Liechtenstein, at their castle in Vaduz.

>"Other paintings were on exhibition in the museum the Prince of Liechtenstein had built in his capital, but Ginevra was too precious to be hung with the rest of the collection. . . . Finally in August 1960 . . ., guided by the prince’s curator, we went into the cellar where there was a trapdoor balanced by a huge counterweight. The trapdoor was lifted, and we descended more narrow stairs to a deep subcellar, where a few of the prince’s greatest treasures were stored. . . . There, on a nail, I saw Ginevra hanging." [2]

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https://photos.smugmug.com/Personal/n-29ZFg/Trips/2013/Virginia-DC-Maryland-2013/i-nK8LZX6/0/903a4bdf/XL/IMG_0453-XL.jpg
on view in the Italian Gallery
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https://photos.smugmug.com/Blog/n-XgPR3X/Art-Talk/National-Gallery/National-Gallery/i-fjDnmRx/0/6d80234c/XL/IMG_20191109_110910204_HDR-XL.jpg
On display for Verrocchio: Sculptor and Painter of Renaissance Florence, September 15, 2019 – January 12, 2020. I saw it on Nov. 9, 2020
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Oh I am so grateful for museums and their ability to preserve and protect great art so it can be seen by millions of people. 

I hope you have enjoyed this introduction to this amazing painting, Ginevra de’ Benci by the great Italian Renaissance master Leonardo De Vinci.  I am happy to do a post on Ginevra. She is like an old friend and this will be the first year in 19 years that I have not lived or visited DC and went to the NGA to see her. 


**Sources:**
[1- Audio of Dan Brown speaking of Ginevra de’ Benci](https://soundcloud.com/nationalgalleryofart/assets-audio-stops-en-313)
[2- Provenance Study: The Princely Collections of Liechtenstein](https://www.nga.gov/research/in-depth/provenance-study-princely-collections-liechtenstein.html)
[3- Virtue and Beauty](https://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/2001/ginevra.html)
[4-Virtue and Beauty Exhibition PDF](https://www.nga.gov/content/dam/ngaweb/research/publications/pdfs/virtue-and-beauty.pdf)
[5-Ginevra de' Benci [obverse]](https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.50724.html)

https://steemitimages.com/DQmaGiJ5Exn5zL4cJEFVahrn96ozJ8bVTWeXhqznp28SYy2/19.png

**Art Talk Series Highlights**

**2020**
[Art Talk: Recycled Plastic Art Movement](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-recycled-plastic-art-movement)
[Art Talk: Gates of Paradise](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-gates-of-paradise)
[Art Talk: Sunrise as abstract art](https://peakd.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-sunrise-as-abstract-art)

**March- Italian Renaissance** 
[Art Talk: NGA Italian Renaissance Tour](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-nga-italian-renaissance-tour)
[Art Talk: Raphael](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-raphael)
[Art Talk: Venus](https://peakd.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-venus)
[Art Talk: Egg Tempera](https://peakd.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-egg-tempera)
[Art Talk: Guest Blogger, @laurabellamy](https://peakd.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-guest-blogger-laurabellamy)

**April- French Impressionism**
[Art Talk: NGA French Impressionism Tour](https://peakd.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-nga-french-impressionism-tour)
[Art Talk: Fredric Bazille](https://peakd.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-fredric-bazille)
[Art Talk: The Mother and Sister of the Artist](https://peakd.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-the-mother-and-sister-of-the-artist)
[Art Talk: En plein air
](https://peakd.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-en-plein-air)

**May- Hudson River School**
[Art Talk: NGA Hudson River School Tour](https://peakd.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-nga-hudson-river-school-tour)
[Art Talk: Albert Bierstadt](https://peakd.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-albert-bierstadt)
[Art Talk: The Voyage of Life](https://peakd.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-the-voyage-of-life)
[Art Talk: Romanticism & Nature & Hudson River School](https://peakd.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-romanticism-and-nature-and-hudson-river-school)

**June-Andrew Mellon and the Hermitage**
[Art Talk: NGA Andrew Mellon and the Hermitage Tour](https://peakd.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-nga-andrew-mellon-and-the-hermitage-tour)
[Art Talk: Rembrandt](https://peakd.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-rembrandt)
[Art Talk: The Annunciation](https://peakd.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-the-annunciation)
[Art Talk: Provenance](https://peakd.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-provenance)


**July-Portraiture**
[Art Talk: NGA Portrait Tour](https://peakd.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-nga-portrait-tour)
[Art Talk: Rembrandt Peale](https://peakd.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-rembrandt-peale)
[Art Talk: Portrait of My Grandmother](https://peakd.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-portrait-of-my-grandmother)

**October-NGA Highlights**
[Art Talk: NGA Highlights tour](https://peakd.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-nga-highlights-tour)


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**2018**
[Art Talk: Introduction](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-introduction)
[Art Talk: Emotion in Bronze](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-emotion-in-bronze)
[Art Talk: Moore Across America](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/5zdfqm-art-talk-moore-across-america)
[Art Talk: Bronze](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-bronze)
[Art Talk: Moore in America](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-moore-in-america)
[Art Talk: King and Queen](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-king-and-queen)
[Art Talk: Art Tells Our Story](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-art-tells-our-story)
[Art Talk: Highlight Tour of the MET](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-highlight-tour-of-the-met)
[Art Talk: The Burghers of Calais](https://steempeak.com/@sjarvie5/art-talk-the-burghers-of-calais)
[Art Talk: Auguste Rodin](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-auguste-rodin)
[Art Talk: Art in Paris in the 1870s](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-art-in-paris-in-the-1870s)
[Art Talk: Guest Blogger, Frankie O'Neill](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-guest-blogger-frankie-o-neill)
[Art Talk: "Felt is a happy fabric."](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-felt-is-a-happy-fabric)
[Art Talk: Murals in Klamath Falls](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-murals-in-klamath-falls)
[Art Talk: Woman with a Parasol- Madame Monet and Her Son](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-woman-with-a-parasol-madame-monet-and-her-son)
[Art Talk: Respect and Compassion](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-respect-and-compassion)


</div> 

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**2019**
[Art Talk: Art Connects Us](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-art-connects-us)
[Art Talk: My mother's crystal](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-my-mother-s-crystal)
[Art Talk: Mother and Child](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-mother-and-child)
[Art Talk: Tour of the Galleria dell' Accademia](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-tour-of-the-galleria-dell-accademia)
[Art Talk: Walking tour of Florence, Italy](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-walking-tour-of-florence-italy)
[Art Talk: Chihuly at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-chihuly-at-the-oklahoma-city-museum-of-art)
[Art Talk: Vatican tour highlights](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-vatican-tour-highlights)
[Art Talk: Ceilings in the Vatican](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-ceilings-in-the-vatican)
[Art Talk: Chihuly at Kew Gardens](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-chihuly-at-kew-gardens)
[Art Talk: MET Highlight tour](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-met-highlight-tour)
[Art Talk: Japan at the MET](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-japan-at-the-met)
[Art Talk: Up Close with French art at the National Gallery of Art in DC](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-up-close-with-french-art-at-the-national-gallery-of-art-in-dc)
[Art Talk: Kelpies](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-kelpies)
[Art Talk: Buying from local artists](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-buying-from-local-artists)
[Art Talk: Guest Blogger, Joia Doiron](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/art-talk-guest-blogger-joia-doiron)
[Haveyoubeenhere 2019 Steemitworldmap travel contest- Four Wonderful Museums](https://steempeak.com/arttalk/@sjarvie5/haveyoubeenhere-2019-steemitworldmap-travel-contest-four-wonderful-museums)
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