Ginevra De' Benci (aristocrat) on:
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Ginevra de' Benci (1457–1521) was a member of the Benci family in 
Ginevra was born into a family of wealthy Florentine merchants in 1457. The Benci had business dealings with the
Ginevra de' Benci (1457–1521) was a member of the Benci family in Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...
and is the subject of an early portrait
A portrait is a portrait painting, painting, portrait photography, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, Personality type ...
by Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...
.
Ginevra was born into a family of wealthy Florentine merchants in 1457. The Benci had business dealings with the Medici
The House of Medici ( , ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici, in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century. The family originated in the Muge ...
and were noted humanists
Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry.
The meaning of the term "humanis ...
themselves, patronizing artists and writers and creating an important library of classical texts. In 1474 she married Luigi de Bernardo Niccolini. Bernardo Bembo
Bernardo Bembo (19 October 1433 – 28 May 1519) was a Venetian humanist, diplomat and statesman.Angelo Ventura and Marco Pecoraro"Bembo, Bernardo" in ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani'', Volume 8 (Rome: Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 1 ...
, Lorenzo de' Medici
Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici (; 1 January 1449 – 8 April 1492) was an Italian statesman, banker, ''de facto'' ruler of the Florentine Republic and the most powerful and enthusiastic patron of Renaissance culture in Italy. Also known as Lorenzo ...
, Alessandro Braccesi, and Christoforo Landino dedicated poems to her.
She spent her later life in self imposed exile, trying to recover from illness and an ill fated love affair. She died in 1521 aged 63 or 64, likely from this unknown illness.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Benci, Ginevra de 1457 births 1521 deaths Italian artists' models 15th-century Italian women 15th-century people of the Republic of Florence 16th-century people of the Republic of Florence Nobility from Florence