Ginevra de' Benci

Ginevra de' Benci (c. 1476) by Leonardo da Vinci. Its palette is led by bistre (#2b1e10, 26%) and soot (#11120c, 21%), with accents of taupe, golden umber and light muted aqua. Overall the canvas is mid-toned, moderately saturated and warm.

Color note

Leonardo built his tones from many thin, translucent layers, the soft-edged technique called sfumato. Centuries of yellowed varnish now sit over his paintings, so their colors read warmer and more yellow than when he painted them.

Palette

#2b1e10 MG 219 bistre 26.3% of canvas
#11120c MG 223 soot 20.8% of canvas
#453017 MG 169 dark brown 13.0% of canvas
#57553e MG 176 taupe 10.4% of canvas
#cebfa3 MG 180 pale sand 10.2% of canvas
#847454 MG 183 golden umber 9.8% of canvas
#8dacb5 MG 080 light muted aqua 9.5% of canvas

Color families

Brown 52%, Black 35%, Blue 5%, Gray 3%, White 3%

Measurements

Lightness: 0.40
Contrast: 0.66
Vividness: 0.031
Warmth: +0.77
Complexity: 169 cells
Hue range: 0.48
Focus: 0.07

Composition

61% of the visual weight is in the right half, 53% in the lower half. Symmetry 0.31 (how closely its shapes and edges mirror each other). 37% of the canvas is calm space. Half of the detail sits in 27% of the canvas. Measured from the image, not a rule the painter followed.

Details

Date: c. 1476
Medium: Oil on panel
Size: 38.8 × 36.7 cm
Genre: portrait
Collection: National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

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