Die Sforza III: Isabella von Aragon und ihr Hofmaler Leonardo da Vinci
488 Seiten, 322 Abbildungen und Stammtafeln, €49.90 (Format 21 x 27 cm)
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Sometimes Bianca Sforza is wrongly called "Bianca Giovanna Sforza", but there is NO female member of the Sforza dynasty with this name! The author and art historian Robert de La Sizeranne is responsible for this serious mistake. In his book, "Beatrice d'Este and her court", published in London and New York in 1924, he called Bianca in general "Bianca Sforza", "Madame Bianca", "Bianca" or "little Bianca." In one case (p. 148) he calls her "Bianca Maria Sforza", to expond in the voice of a know-all on the page 167 that we should never mix up "Bianca Sforza" with her cousin Bianca Maria Sforza (what he himself did on page 148). What ever induced him to give Bianca Sforza the name "Bianca Giovanna Sforza" (on the pages 160, 166, 168 und 239), we will never know because he did not name a single source, which he had used when writing his book. In other words, this book contains no bibliography. It remains a mystery to me, how any serious scientist can use this book to support any of his theories. Bianca Sforza (1482-1496) was the second illegitimate daughter of Lodovico Maria il Moro Sforza. She had been married to one of the best friends of her father, Galeazzo da Sanseverino (c. 1460-1525), and died already at the young age of 14 years. Since 1491 Leonardo da Vinci had no longer the opportunity to paint a portrait of her, because Bianca's stepmother Beatrice d'Este hated this Milanese court painter for his friendship to Cecilia Gallerani.
On 13th October 2009 newspapers reported about a newly discovered painting by Leonardo da Vinci. For the time being let's forget about the silly remarks about the finger print since we do not have any finger print of Leonardo's that we can be sure of. Nevertheless, this work was certainly made by the master himself. Because he "signed" it with one of his specific symbols, which can also be found in his emblem of the Academy of Milan which was founded by him in 1485 or 1486. However, the depicted is certainly not Bianca Sforza, whom, if the proponent had known about the history of the Sforza, would never have been proposed as a candidate. This portrait does neither exhibit any symbols, nor does it show the colours of the Sforza. However, the colours and the hair net allow the identification of the depicted. This painting is a portrait of the extraordinarily beautiful Angela Borgia Lanzol, cousin and lady-in-waiting of Lucrezia Borgia of Ferrara. She caused a lot of commotion at the court of Ferrara. Her portrait may have been commissioned by Cardinal Ippolito d'Este who was deeply in love with her. The Cardinal was a close friend of Leonardo da Vinci and helped him in his inheritance court case against Leonardo's half-brothers. The portrait has been painted in 1507.
PS: In the meantime, Mr. Pascal Cotte and the art historian Martin Kemp have published a PDF file titled "La Bella Principessa and the Warsaw Sforziad", which in historical aspects is beneath any academic standard. Once again, both men are demonstrating to all of us their lack of knowledge about the history of the Renaissance, the Sforza, and the da Sanseverino and their specific symbols. Claims made in the science of history must be proven by contemporary historical sources. Therefore my question to these men is: With what contemporary historical source of the 15th century are you able to support your assertion that Bianca Sforza, the illegitimate daughter of Lodovico il Moro Sforza, used the three interconnected rings as her specific symbol by which an immediate identification of her is possible? Please inform us also about the contemporary historical source of the 15th century which confirms that the "dewy vlies", which looks more like a dripping cloth in this manuscript, has been the specific symbol of Galeazzo da Sanseverino. Since 2013 this painting has the title "Portrait of a Young Fiancée". Do you see the medieval symbol of an engagement on this portrait? Of course not! But art historians keep making silly new claims!!!
More about Angela Borgia Lanzol and the Warsaw Sforziada in my Weblog.
Danke! 💖
Dritter Band der Sforza Serie
