Leonardo da Vinci’s Head of a Woman is an unfinished portrayal of a young woman with disheveled hair. This brush drawing with some pigment is similar to other incomplete works by the artist. Known for their incredible sensitivity and intellect, Leonardo da Vinci’s figures are widely regarded as masterpieces.
The Head of a Woman painting in oil on wood housed in the Galleria Nazionale di Parma, Italy, is a finished painting mentioned for the first time in the House of Gonzaga collection in 1627. It may have been commissioned by Isabella d’Este, a member of the Gonzaga family of Mantua. A drawing attributed to Leonardo depicts a beautiful young woman looking downward closely that resembles Andrea del Verrocchio’s Virgin and Child, which could suggest some influence from his master.
Some have speculated that Head Of A Woman served as a model for Virgin Mary for The Virgin of The Rocks — one amongst four portraits painted by Leonardo da Vinci. Lady with an Ermine being Louis XII’s mistress, did not embody any religious iconography utilized within artwork depictions during this period.
