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I have said many times in this blog that I have a very plebeian view of portraiture. I don't like it. The one immediately above however is the exception to the rule. After completing the housework, for the second week in succession (applaud here please) I decided to indulge myself with a cup of milky coffee and finish my book on Leonardo Da Vinci. Art is suddenly starting to intrigue me, particularly the lives of the artists.
A beginner like me can't help stating likes and dislikes, and I personally like the Portrait of Isabella d'Este better than the Mona Lisa. I realise she is not such a beauty, but this is something I would hang on my living room wall in the 21st century. This portrait was painted 8 years before the Mona Lisa. This is what the book says about it:
' Several copies exist - though only as a cartoon - and there has been some critical debate about which one (if any) is the original. This version now in the Louvre, is usually thought of as being by Leonardo's own hand, but there has certainly been some reworking, and it has been pricked for the purpose of transfer'.
Isn't this fascinating? How have I got to be this age and am now only discovering all this? How sad.
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