A young woman in a red dress looks past us from behind a stone parapet, her face modelled in soft light against a dark ground. Most scholars accept it as Leonardo's work from his years at the Sforza court in Milan, though other Milanese painters have been proposed. The sitter is unknown: Lucrezia Crivelli and Beatrice d'Este are the leading candidates.
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The thin jewelled band across her forehead, a ferronnière, gave the painting its name. On her cheek and jaw, Leonardo painted a warm reflection of light from her red dress.
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