view? Some authors, including Charles Nicholl, have posited that after his return to Milan, Leonardo may have had a relationship with a woman named Cremona. The suggestion is largely based on a reference to (perhaps intended to mean “chermonese” Cremona girl”) in one of Leonardo’s notebooks, and a passage in the writings of the “the 19th century Italian artist Giuseppe Bossi. In this essay, Bossi claims—based on “an authoritative source” Leonardo the pleasures of life” as evidenced by his –-that “loved affair with courtesan called Cremona.” “a In principle, is nothing wrong with the idea of Leonardo falling in love this late in life, even though he was now nearing sixty. As evidenced by the profile portrait drawn by Melzi, he was still a very handsome man with his flowing beard and long hair, which gave him both the air of a savant and the whiff of a The affair with bohemien. Cremona, if indeed it happened, would also lay to rest the insistent drumbeat that Leonardo was exclusively homosexual throughout his life. On the other hand, the reference to the does not appear until 1509, when the chermonese Leda and the Swan project was already well advanced; a direct correlation seems unlikely. Cesare da Sesto, (after Leonardo). Original dated ca. 1508-10. Leda and the Swan Instead, the true genesis of both the and the lies in Leonardo’s Leda Saint Anne fascination with the enigma of human conception and birth, as seen from two entirely opposing perspectives: the sacred (through the virginal conception of both Anne and Mary) and the profane (through lusty intercourse, bordering on bestiality). The depiction of Leda, perhaps the most erotic representation of a female nude since Antiquity, was undoubtedly assisted, if not stimulated, by Leonardo’s anatomical exploration of the female body at the Santa Maria Nuova. Similarly, we believe, the study of the wondrous world of the unborn fetus at the same hospital would inspire Leonardo to a third major discourse on the theme of motherhood. This, as we saw, is the Mona Lisa, now in the Louvre. second
view? Some authors, including Charles Nicholl, have posited that after his return to Milan, Leonardo may have had a relationship with a woman named Cremona. The suggestion is largely based on a reference to “chermonese” (perhaps intended to mean “the Cremona girl”) in one of Leonardo’s notebooks, and a passage in the writings of the 19th century Italian artist Giuseppe Bossi. In this essay, Bossi claims—based on “an authoritative source” –-that Leonardo “loved the pleasures of life” as evidenced by his affair with “a courtesan called Cremona.” In principle, is nothing wrong with the idea of Leonardo falling in love this late in life, even though he was now nearing sixty. As evidenced by the profile portrait drawn by Melzi, he was still a very handsome man with his flowing beard and long hair, which gave him both the air of a savant and the whiff of a bohemien. The affair with Cremona, if indeed it happened, would also lay to rest the insistent drumbeat that Leonardo was exclusively homosexual throughout his life. On the other hand, the reference to the chermonese does not appear until 1509, when the Leda and the Swan project was already well advanced; a direct correlation seems unlikely. Cesare da Sesto, Leda and the Swan (after Leonardo). Original dated ca. 1508-10. Instead, the true genesis of both the Leda and the Saint Anne lies in Leonardo’s fascination with the enigma of human conception and birth, as seen from two entirely opposing perspectives: the sacred (through the virginal conception of both Anne and Mary) and the profane (through lusty intercourse, bordering on bestiality). The depiction of Leda, perhaps the most erotic representation of a female nude since Antiquity, was undoubtedly assisted, if not stimulated, by Leonardo’s anatomical exploration of the female body at the Santa Maria Nuova. Similarly, we believe, the study of the wondrous world of the unborn fetus at the same hospital would inspire Leonardo to a third major discourse on the theme of motherhood. This, as we saw, is the second Mona Lisa, now in the Louvre.
The-Mona-Lisa-Myth_MS_0619-cd-notes.docx