. Verocchio. et against a bush of juniper, whosesharp needles accentuated against the sky contrast in themanner peculiar to Verrocchio with the curves of thetendril-like curls on the cheeks and the tranquil sweetnessof the expression. The panel has been much shortened,and it is probable that, like the Mona Lisa of Leonardo,the hands of the sitter originally rested before her on abalustrade. The fact of this truncation is ascertained bythe existence on the back of a decorative painting, for-merly in the centre of the panel, but of which in its presentstate the lower part is missing. It represen
. Verocchio. et against a bush of juniper, whosesharp needles accentuated against the sky contrast in themanner peculiar to Verrocchio with the curves of thetendril-like curls on the cheeks and the tranquil sweetnessof the expression. The panel has been much shortened,and it is probable that, like the Mona Lisa of Leonardo,the hands of the sitter originally rested before her on abalustrade. The fact of this truncation is ascertained bythe existence on the back of a decorative painting, for-merly in the centre of the panel, but of which in its presentstate the lower part is missing. It represents a branch ofjuniper tied with a scroll, on which is inscribed the mottoVirtvtem forma decor at, framed in branches of bay andpalm, on a background painted in imitation of decoration is cut off just below the scroll, which wasoriginally in the centre, and the measurements show thatas much as from twenty-five to thirty centimetres of thepanel is missing. The damage to the picture is greater XXII. Hanjslaengl, Munich PORTRAIT OF LADY. COLLECTION OF PRINCE LICHTENSTEIN, VIENNA Face p. 104 FEMALE PORTRAITS 105 than the mere loss of the hands, for in its present state thecomposition is too square and stunted.* As to the authorship of this portrait there have been,and still are, wide differences of opinion. In the earlycatalogue of the collection made by Falke it was attri-buted to Sodoma, and Waagen was the first to suggestthat it was by Leonardo, with whose name it has beensince officially inscribed. Waagens attribution, however,was made doubtfully and with the suggestion that, if notby the Master himself, it might at least be by one of hisbest pupils, possibly The hypothesis of Ver-rocchios authorship is due to Morelli,J and has since beenmore or less generally accepted by the critics. Of recenttimes, however, several of the most important students ofVerrocchio, headed by Dr. Bode, have given their verdictin favour of Leonardo, Dr. Bode identifying it,
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpublishernewyo, bookyear1904
