La Bella Principessa

Is she or isn't she?

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There are many more questions that could be asked about the enigmatic La Bella Principessa. But the main question that baffles art historians to this day is - is she or isn't she "a Leonardo"?

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Out of that loaded question, a much more fundamental, though perhaps, less intriguing issue arises - that of connoisseurship, "the eye" of the so-called art expert - the professional and yet highly subjective opinion, albeit supported by years of experience and scholarly study.

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One such scholar is Martin Kemp - one of the world's leading experts on Leonardo da Vinci. It was, in fact, Kemp, who identified our mystery lady as Bianca Sforza and dubbed her "La Bella Principessa". Most importantly, Kemp attributed authorship of the portrait to the hand of Leonardo da Vinci.

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The quest to prove this bold claim makes for a most enthralling tale that is far beyond the scope of a single blog post. I highly recommend looking up the story - a National Geographic video of Martin Kemp's trip to the

National Library of Poland to examine the Renaissance vellum book, that possibly contained this drawing, would make for a good start.

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The opponents of this attribution (some very influential ones, such as Carmen Bambach - a respectable scholar and curator at the MET) point to the notable absences of certain very distinct features that genuine works by Leonardo tend to possess - such as his intricate, spiraling hair curls and his exquisitely delicate sfumato surfaces that imitate the process of our eyes, perceiving the edges of objects as dissolving in space. Principessa's profile is just too harshly delineated and most importantly - according to some experts, it lacks that leonardesque aura, that magic that most of his female portraits possess.

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For some, the Princess or Principessa is indeed beautiful and beguiling. For others, such as the art critic Jonathan Jones from the Guardian, "she just sits there, waiting, as if she was posing in a passport photobooth."

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Despite a large number of books and scholarly articles published on the subject, the jury is still out. But I would love to hear your opinion, what do you think: is she? or isn't she? a Leonardo?