Leonardo Drawing, Portrait Mark 500 Years Since His Death

 

Art lovers¹ around the world are remembering Leonardo da Vinci. He died in France 500 years ago, on May 2, 1519.

A British art expert announced on Thursday that Britain’s royal family has a portrait of the famous artist, often known simply as Leonardo.

Martin Clayton, a royal art adviser², said the portrait’s owner is Queen Elizabeth II. He added that the image was made by one of Leonardo’s assistants shortly before his death.

Clayton said the “straight nose” and other details look very much like the only other known portrait of Leonardo done in his lifetime. That picture was the work of Italian painter Francesco Melzi.

Visitors to London’s Buckingham Palace will have a chance to see the portrait for themselves later this month. It will be on display at the Queen’s Gallery with about 200 drawings from her collection of Leonardo’s works³. The show opens on May 24 and continues until October 13.

On Thursday, the presidents of Italy and France gathered in the French town of Amboise to mark the anniversary⁴ of the artist’s death. He spent the final years of his life in the town.

Today art lovers around the world are celebrating Leonardo’s work. He is considered a true Renaissance⁵ man, working not only as an artist, but as a scientist and inventor.

“There really hasn’t been anybody then or since who has combined this extraordinary genius for these totally different areas,” said Gregory Rubinstein. He is the worldwide head of Old Master drawings at Sotheby’s auction⁶ house.

“I think that’s what’s at the heart of our fascination⁷.”

Sotheby’s announced Thursday that an important, rarely seen Leonardo drawing is going on display in its New York offices next month.

The drawing, called “Leda and the Swan,” was painted in 1506. It is based on a story from Greek mythology⁸. It has not been show in public since 2003.

Leonardo appears to have made the painting while he was also working on Mona Lisa, his most well-known painting. The Mona Lisa hangs in the Louvre Museum in Paris.

Rubenstein said the “very complete and very beautiful” drawing appears to have been preparatory work for a painting that was never made or was lost.

“It’s a very mysterious one because there is no surviving record…and no painting survives,” he said.

The New York exhibition opens on June 28 and will continue through September 18.

I’m Susan Shand.

Words in This Story

portrait – n. a painting, drawing, or photograph of a person that usually only includes the person's head and shoulders

royal – adj. of or relating to a king or queen

drawing – n. a picture, image, etc., that is made by making lines on a surface with a pencil, pen, marker, chalk, etc., but usually not with paint

Renaissance – n. the period of European history between the 14th and 17th centuries when there was a new interest in science and in ancient art and literature especially in Italy

fascination – n. to be very interested in something or someone

mythology – n. ideas that are believed by many people but that are not true

1 lovers   

爱好者( lover的名词复数 )； 情人； 情夫； 情侣

参考例句：

• They were off-screen lovers. 他们是真实生活中的情侣。
• Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet 罗密欧和朱丽叶这一对莎士比亚笔下命运多舛的恋人

2 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

3 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

4 anniversary   

n.周年(纪念日)

参考例句：

• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。
• Today is my parents'30th wedding anniversary.今天是我父母结婚30周年纪念日。

5 renaissance   

n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴

参考例句：

• The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
• The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。

6 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

7 fascination   

n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋

参考例句：

• He had a deep fascination with all forms of transport.他对所有的运输工具都很着迷。
• His letters have been a source of fascination to a wide audience.广大观众一直迷恋于他的来信。

8 mythology   

n.神话，神话学，神话集

参考例句：

• In Greek mythology,Zeus was the ruler of Gods and men.在希腊神话中，宙斯是众神和人类的统治者。
• He is the hero of Greek mythology.他是希腊民间传说中的英雄。