LEONARDO DA VINCI 1452-1519

Leonardo da VINCI Vinci, 1452–Amboise, 1519 Study of a Man’s Head, Presumed Portrait of Cesare Borgia Red chalk About 1502 (?) This study of a head is said to depict Cesare Borgia, the son of Pope Alexander VI. Having entered the service of Louis XII of France, he was granted the title of Duc de Valentinois. In the summer of 1502, Leonardo became Cesare’s ‘architect and general engineer’ and followed him for several months on military campaigns in Italy intended to establish a principality in the regions of Ro- magna and the Marches.The death of Alexander VI in 1503 and the election of Pope Julius II in November of the same year put an end to the power of the Borgias. Biblioteca Reale, Turin, inv. 15573 Infrared reflectogram of the Portrait of Lisa del Giocondo, known as the Mona Lisa, by Leonardo da Vinci Oil on poplar panel About 1503–1519 Musée du Louvre, Paris Leonardo began to work on the portrait of Lisa Gherardi- ni, wife of the silk merchant Francesco del Giocondo, in 1503.The infrared reflectogram allows us to see the pre- paratory underdrawing of the figure, which – in keeping with his later works – is less detailed. It reveals the altera- tions ( pentimenti ) made to the hands and seat balusters, and offers a clearer image of the painting’s arrangement, now obscured by oxidised conservation varnish. © C2RMF / Elsa Lambert 131 132