. Leonardo da Vinci, artist, thinker and man of science. le insisting on Leonardos authorship, proves that the youngwoman represented was not, as has been asserted, Bianca MariaSforza, wife of the Em-peror Maximilian. For-tunately, Dr. Bodes argu-ments in favour of theauthenticity of the workare irrefutable. Thelearned Director of theBerlin Gallery shows thatAmbrogio de Predis cer-tainly painted a portraitof Bianca Maria, whichnow forms part of theArconati - Visconti collec-tion in Paris, but that thishas nothing in common,either in feature or tech-nique, with the master-piece in the Ambrosian
. Leonardo da Vinci, artist, thinker and man of science. le insisting on Leonardos authorship, proves that the youngwoman represented was not, as has been asserted, Bianca MariaSforza, wife of the Em-peror Maximilian. For-tunately, Dr. Bodes argu-ments in favour of theauthenticity of the workare irrefutable. Thelearned Director of theBerlin Gallery shows thatAmbrogio de Predis cer-tainly painted a portraitof Bianca Maria, whichnow forms part of theArconati - Visconti collec-tion in Paris, but that thishas nothing in common,either in feature or tech-nique, with the master-piece in the Ambrosiana.^ ^ Die Galerie Borghese, p. o r^C A/r ii yl 7 • - , • PORTRAIT OF AN UNKNOWN MAN. 238.—Cf. Motta, Archivio storico 7 J J o o (The Ambrosiana, Milan.) lofubardo, 1893, p. 987. 2 Jahrbuch der kg. Kimst-sanimlungen, 1889, no. 2.—A bronze statue in the cathedral at Innspriick representsMaximilians consort standing, one hand on her hip, the other slightly extended. Hercostume is gorgeous in the extreme. Strings of pearls are arranged upon her E E. 210 LEONARDO DA VINCI From Leonardos own admissions, as well as from the evidence ofhis contemporaries, it is evident that, unable to satisfy his own fasti-dious taste, he painted extremely slowly, correcting incessantly. Didhe not himself declare that the painter who has no doubts makes noprogress ? Quel pittore, che no dubita, poco acquiesta {Trattatodella Pittura, cap. 62). If he left many works unfinished it was, asVasari has well said, because he was always striving after a higherexcellence. The biographer quotes Petrarchs verse in this connection : E Iamor di saper che mha si acceso,Che Iopera e retardate dal desio. My love of knowledge so enflamed me,That my work was retarded by my desire. Fortunately, he has left innumerable drawings to make up for therarity of his pictures, and these reveal the incomparable mastery, theincredible variety of the draughtsman in the most varied aspects. It isto this manifestation of his ge
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