Processing
Oil pictography in the “Retouch” category on seasoned solid wood panel. Worked with a magnifying glass. Retouched with Maimeri and Winsor & Newton colors. Solid wood panel with anti-warping crossbars (from 30x40 cm); concealed hook for wall mounting. Panel thickness 18/27 mm. Frame size: 23x20 cm; framed size: 51,5x51,5 cm.
History
La Scapigliata is a painting attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, probably created between 1506 and 1508, during the period of his full artistic maturity. The work is now kept at the National Gallery of Parma, where it is one of the most enigmatic and fascinating masterpieces in the entire collection.
The painting, executed on wood with a mixed technique of oil and umber, depicts a young woman in three-quarter profile, with her gaze turned downward and her tousled hair framing her face in a fluid and natural way. The brushwork, at once decisive and undefined, reveals Leonardo's mastery of the ‘unfinished’: the face is delicately modeled, while the contours of the head and bust remain barely sketched.
The work is distinguished by its extraordinary expressive intensity, achieved through the skillful use of sfumato, a technique that Leonardo perfected to make tonal transitions imperceptible and give emotional depth to faces. The effect is that of a figure suspended between the real and the ideal, in a dimension of silent introspection.
Although there are no definite iconographic elements, the figure has been interpreted in various ways: as a study for a larger female figure, as a representation of ideal beauty, or even as an allegory of nature or the soul. However, the absence of reliable documentation means that the identity of the woman and the intended purpose of the work are still the subject of debate among scholars.
La Scapigliata is considered an emblematic example of Leonardo's research into human expression and the fusion of art and scientific thought. Its apparent incompleteness does not diminish its value, but rather contributes to the charm of a work that combines formal rigor and inner depth in a unique way.
Leonardo da Vinci, La Scapigliata (RETOUCH)