''La Scapigliata'' () is an unfinished painting generally attributed to the Italian High Renaissance artist

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 ...

, and dated . Painted in oil, umber, and white lead pigments on a small poplar wood

panel Panel may refer to: Arts and media Visual arts * Panel (comics), a single image in a comic book, comic strip or cartoon; also, a comic strip containing one such image *Panel painting, in art, either one element of a multi-element piece of art ...

, its attribution remains controversial, with several experts attributing the work to a pupil of Leonardo. The painting has been admired for its captivating beauty, mysterious demeanor, and mastery of

sfumato Sfumato (, ) is a painting technique for softening the transition between colours, mimicking an area beyond what the human eye is focusing on, or the out-of-focus plane. It is one of the canonical painting modes of the Renaissance. Leonardo da V ...

. There is no real consensus on the subject, date, history, or purpose of the painting. It shows an unidentified woman gazing downward while her hair fills the frame behind her. Many theories regarding the subject have been proposed: that it is a sketch for an uncompleted painting of

Saint Anne According to Christian apocryphal and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the canonical gospels. In writing, Anne's name and that of her husband Joachim come o ...

; a study for the London version of the ''

Virgin of the Rocks The ''Virgin of the Rocks'' ( it, Vergine delle rocce), sometimes the ''Madonna of the Rocks'', is the name of two paintings by the Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci, of the same subject, with a composition which is identical except fo ...

'' or Leonardo's

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

painting of ''

Leda and the Swan Leda and the Swan is a story and subject in art from Greek mythology in which the god Zeus, in the form of a swan, seduces or rapes Leda. According to later Greek mythology, Leda bore Helen and Polydeuces, children of Zeus, while at the sa ...

''; or a painting left deliberately unfinished for its

aesthetic value Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed thr ...

. The painting was recorded in the sale in 1826 of

Gaetano Callani Gaetano Callani (16 January 1736 – 6 November 1809) was an Italian painter and sculptor, active mainly in his native Parma in a Neoclassical style. Biography Born at Parma, he was a pupil of Giambettino Cignaroli .Galleria Nazionale di Parma, the museum in which it is currently housed, but proof of its existence may date back to 1531, when it may have been owned by Isabella d'Este. Although many studies of Leonardo's oeuvre are silent on the issue, most scholars who discuss the painting regard it as an autographic work by Leonardo da Vinci and it has been listed as such in various major Leonardo exhibitions.

Name

The painting has no formal name but is best known by the

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

''La Scapigliata'' ( en, The Lady with Dishevelled Hair), in reference to the tousled and waving hair of the subject. It has been known by various other names in combination with ''La Scapigliata'', including ''Head of a Woman'', ''Head of a Young Woman'', ''Head of a Young Girl'', ''Head and Shoulders of a Woman'', ''Portrait of a Maiden'', and ''Female Head''.

Description

Leonardo da Vinci -'La Scapigliata' (a detail of the jaw and neck)

The true intention for the work's creation is unknown, and it has been variously referred to as a sketch, a drawing, or a painting. Due to the use of paint, it is correctly described as a painting, but scholars continue to discuss its sketch- and drawing-like qualities, often linking it to Leonardo's early works such as the ''

Adoration of the Magi The Adoration of the Magi or Adoration of the Kings is the name traditionally given to the subject in the Nativity of Jesus in art in which the three Magi, represented as kings, especially in the West, having found Jesus by following a star, ...

'' and '' Saint Jerome in the Wilderness'', as well as later ones such as ''

The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and Saint John the Baptist ''The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and Saint John the Baptist'', sometimes called ''The Burlington House Cartoon'', is a drawing by Leonardo da Vinci. The drawing is in charcoal and black and white chalk, on eight sheets of paper that are glue ...

''. The art historian

Carmen Bambach Carmen C. Bambach (1959) is an American art historian and curator of Italian and Spanish drawings at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art who specializes in Italian Renaissance art. She is considered one of the world's leading specialists on ...

suggests that it should be described as a "brush drawing", or as a "painted sketch". The painting is executed on a small poplar wood

with oil, umber, and white lead pigments. It portrays the unfinished outline of a young woman whose face gently gazes downward while her loosely drawn, dishevelled hair waves in the air behind her. The woman's eyes are half-closed and completely ignore the outside world and viewer, while her mouth is slightly shaped into an ambiguous smile, evocative of the ''

Mona Lisa The ''Mona Lisa'' ( ; it, Gioconda or ; french: Joconde ) is a half-length portrait painting by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described as "the best known ...

''. Other than her face that takes up most of the painting, the rest of the painting is barely even sketched in, with a primed, but unpainted, background. The differences in the face and the rest of the painting are effectively blended by a mastery of

. The art historian Alexander Nagel notes that the sfumato results in the shadows concealing any strokes or marks, and points out how the shadows are softened by careful lighting around them, such as on the left side of the jaw. The appeal in this contrast of the unfinished and finished parts has provoked speculation that the painting is not incomplete, but was left in a sketchy state on purpose. The subject of the painting is unknown and no theory has proved convincing enough for modern scholars to reach a consensus about it. One theory is that the work is a study for Leonardo's lost painting of ''

'', but this is discredited by existing copies of the painting showing Leda with hair more elaborate than that of the woman in ''La Scapigliata.'' It is also claimed that the painting was a sketch for a painting of

that never was completed, or a study for the London version of the ''

''. According to scholars at the Galleria Nazionale di Parma, the subject of the painting may be a portrait of an anonymous woman.

Attribution

It is generally agreed by modern scholars that ''La Scapigliata'' is by Leonardo da Vinci. The attribution is not so widely accepted as other debated Leonardo paintings, such as his ''

Ginevra de' Benci ''Ginevra de' Benci'' is a portrait painting by Leonardo da Vinci of the 15th-century Florentine aristocrat Ginevra de' Benci (born ). Exhibited at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., it is the only painting by Leonardo on public ...

'', '' Portrait of a Musician'', ''

Lady with an Ermine The ''Lady with an Ermine'' ; pl, Dama z gronostajem). It is sometimes known as the ''Portrait of Cecilia Gallerani'', the ''Portrait of an Unknown Woman'', the ''Lady with a Ferret'', or the ''Lady with a Marten''., group=n is a portrait pain ...

'', and '' Saint John the Baptist'' and is ignored by some art historians, with many refraining from even commenting on it. The art historians Martin Kemp and

Frank Zöllner Frank Zöllner (born 26 June 1956) is a German art historian who has been a professor of art history at Leipzig University since 1996. He is a prolific scholar on the life and works of Leonardo da Vinci, and author of one of the two modern ''ca ...

omit the work from their catalogues of Leonardo's paintings, while

Luke Syson Luke Syson is an English museum curator and art historian. Since 2019, he has been the director of the Fitzwilliam Museum at the University of Cambridge, prior to which he held positions at the British Museum (1991–2002), the Victoria and Albe ...

proposes that it is the work of one of Leonardo's many pupils. Doubts concerning the attribution of the painting are not recent. In 1896 , director of the Galleria Nazionale, claimed that it had been forged by its former owner,

Gaetano Callani Gaetano Callani (16 January 1736 – 6 November 1809) was an Italian painter and sculptor, active mainly in his native Parma in a Neoclassical style. Biography Born at Parma, he was a pupil of Giambettino Cignaroli .Adolfo Venturi Adolfo Venturi (3 September 1856, Modena – 10 June 1941, Santa Margherita Ligure) was an Italian art historian. His son, Lionello Venturi, was also an art historian. Biography He received his education in Modena and Florence, and in 1878 ...

, who asserted that it was by Leonardo, and who revealed evidence that sought to link the work with the

House of Gonzaga ) , type = Noble house , country = , estates = Ducal Palace (Mantua) Ducal Palace (Nevers) , titles = * Prince of Arches * Duke of Montferrat * Duke of Mantua * Duke of Guastalla * Duke of Nevers * Duke ...

. The attribution to Leonardo was further advocated by Carlo Pedretti, who connected the painting to Isabella d'Este, a known patron of Leonardo. Most scholars have since accepted the work to be an autographic Leonardo, but modern critics such as the art historian Jacques Franck continue to question its authenticity. Franck, basing his doubts on the irregular proportions and strangely shaped skull of the subject, has proposed the painting to be by Leonardo's pupil Giovanni Boltraffio. He has cited the similarity between ''La Scapigliata'' and Boltraffio's work ''Heads of the Virgin and Child''. Bernardino Luini, another pupil of Leonardo, has also been suggested as the artist, the evidence being based on his depictions of female faces. Major exhibitions at the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

(2003), Milan (2014–2015), New York (2016), Paris (2016), Naples (2018), and again at the Louvre (2019–2020), have all displayed the painting as being by Leonardo.

Dating

The painted is usually dated based on stylistic similarities to other works by Leonardo, namely the ''Virgin and Child with Saint Anne and Saint John the Baptist'' and the London ''

''. In 2016, Bambach dated the painting to , since she believes that Leonardo was commissioned by

Agostino Vespucci Agostino Vespucci was a Florentine chancellery official, clerk, and assistant to Niccolò Machiavelli, among others. He is most well known for helping to confirm the subject of Leonardo da Vinci's ''Mona Lisa'' as Lisa del Giocondo, but is als ...

at this time.

History

No records of a commission survive for the painting, but its intimacy suggests that it may have been for a private patron. Bambach cites a note by the Florentine official Agostino Vespucci that mentions Leonardo, and describes the appeal and beauty of the unfinished bust of

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never fa ...

by the famous ancient Greek painter

Apelles Apelles of Kos (; grc-gre, Ἀπελλῆς; fl. 4th century BC) was a renowned painter of ancient Greece. Pliny the Elder, to whom much of modern scholars' knowledge of this artist is owed (''Naturalis Historia'' 35.36.79–97 and ''passim'' ...

. She believes that ''La Scapigliata'' may be the result of Vespucci commissioning Leonardo to execute a work along the same lines. Da Vinci Isabella d'Este

A more widely accepted theory is that the work was commissioned by a known patron of Leonardo and a member of the Gonzaga family of Mantua, Isabella d'Este. She was one of the leading women of the Italian Renaissance, a major cultural and political figure, who had asked Leonardo for a painting of the Madonna for her private studio in 1501. Isabella d'Este probably gave the painting to her son Federico II on the occasion of his wedding to

Margaret Paleologa Margaret Palaeologa ( it, Margherita Paleologa; 11 August 1510 in Casale Monferrato – 28 December 1566 in Mantua), was the ruling Marquise regnant of Montferrat in her own right between 1533 and 1536. She was also Duchess of Mantua by marri ...

. This is evidenced by a 1531 letter from the secretary of the

Mantua Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard language, Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the Province of Mantua, province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture ...

n Gonzaga family, Ippolito Calandra, who suggests that a painting (with very similar features as ''La Scapigliata'') be hung in the bedroom of Federico II and Margaret Paleologa. A 1531 inventory of the Gonzaga family art collection in the

ducal palace Several palaces are named Ducal Palace (Italian: ''Palazzo Ducale'' ) because it was the seat or residence of a duke. Notable palaces with the name include: France *Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy, Dijon *Palace of the Dukes of Lorraine, Nancy *Pa ...

also records a painting that could be ''La Scapigliata''. Another inventory from 1627 likely refers to ''La Scapigliata'' and is likely to be the origin of the nickname for the painting since the record describes it as follows: "A painting depicts the head of a dishevelled woman... by Leonardo da Vinci." This record implies that it was not sold among a large sale of paintings from the Gonzaga collection to

Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until Execution of Charles I, his execution in 1649. He was born into the House of Stuart as the second son of King James VI of ...

in 1626–1627. It is possible that the painting was stolen from the Gonzaga collection in July 1630 when, under the pay of Ferdinand II, an imperial army of 36,000

Landsknecht The (singular: , ), also rendered as Landsknechts or Lansquenets, were Germanic mercenaries used in pike and shot formations during the early modern period. Consisting predominantly of pikemen and supporting foot soldiers, their front line wa ...

mercenaries sacked Mantua. The next (and first certain) record of the painting is in 1826, when Francesco Callani offered the collection of his father, the Parmesan artist Gaetano Callani, for sale to the gallery of the

Accademia di Belle Arti di Parma The Accademia di Belle Arti di Parma (Academy of Fine Arts of Parma) is an artistic institution in the city of Parma, Italy. It is presently located in a wing of the Palazzo della Pilotta in the center of the city. History The Academy originated ...

. In a list of the works in the collection for the gallery's director,

Paolo Toschi Paolo Toschi (1788 – 30 July 1854) was an Italian draughtsman and engraver. He was born in Parma. Biography He trained in Paris under Charles Clément Balvay (Bervic), and first made a reputation by a fine etching of ''Henry IV'', after Gérard ...

, ''La Scapigliata'' appears listed as "A head of Madonna painted in chiaroscuro". The sale implies that it entered the collection of Gaetano Callani at some point, probably during his 1773–1778 stay in Milan, but other than being in Milan, there is no information on the whereabouts of the painting prior to that notation. The sale took place in 1839, but the painting identified as ''La Scapigliata'' entered the gallery of Palatine Gallery of Parma (now the Galleria Nazionale di Parma), where it was listed as "The head of Leonardo da Vinci" and described by Toschi as "a very rare work to find today". It has been housed in the National Gallery of Parma ever since.

Interpretation

Many theories have been proposed about the intended purpose and meaning of the work, which the Galleria Nazionale di Parma suggests is due to the ambiguity in the work's 'painted-drawing' demeanor. Scholars at the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

note that the contrast between the subject's sculptural and detailed face with her fragmentary hair, shoulders, and neck evokes a similar contrast between intensity and freedom. Scholars at the Galleria Nazionale have interpreted this contrast as a feminist representation of powerful, but elegant, femininity. The work has been recognized as the apex of Leonardesque sfumato. Nagel notes the attentive detail to masterful shadowing and lighting. Nagel compares ''La Scapigliata'' with head studies by Leonardo's teacher,

Andrea del Verrocchio Andrea del Verrocchio (, , ; – 1488), born Andrea di Michele di Francesco de' Cioni, was a sculptor, Italian painter and goldsmith who was a master of an important workshop in Florence. He apparently became known as ''Verrocchio'' after the su ...

, noting the similar approach and attention given to the shading, and that both Verrocchio's studies of female heads and Leonardo's ''La Scapigliata'' seem to 'know' that the edge of the panel exists. He concludes that, It is uncertain what access Leonardo would have had to

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic '' ...

's '' Natural History'', but in 2016 Bambach speculates that ''La Scapigliata'' may have been inspired by an anecdote from it. Pliny refers to an unfinished painting of ''Venus of Cos'' by the famous ancient Greek painter Apelles that was admired even though it was unfinished. Bambach cites a note from Agostino Vespucci that mentions both Leonardo and this story, and claims that Leonardo was inspired to achieve the same result as Apelles.

References

Notes

Citations

Sources

;Books * * * * * * * * * * * * ;Articles * * * ;Online * * * *

External links

La Scapigliata, Galleria Nazionale di Parma

La Scapigliata, Metropolitan Museum of Art
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scapigliata) Paintings by Leonardo da Vinci Collections of the Galleria nazionale di Parma 1500 paintings Portraits of women Unfinished paintings