Attribution

The Three Pillars

Attribution decisions rest on three interlocking types of evidence, which must be evaluated together:

1. Documentary evidence: Contemporary payments, contracts, inventories, letters, and descriptions naming the artist. The strongest possible evidence — but Leonardo is documented in fewer works than he actually made, and some attributed works have no contemporary documentation at all.
2. Stylistic analysis: Visual comparison of handling, pose, expression, and composition with securely attributed works. The traditional connoisseur's method — but subject to the problem that the Leonardeschi imitated Leonardo so closely that stylistic analysis alone is frequently insufficient.
3. Technical examination: Infrared reflectography (underdrawing), X-ray fluorescence (pigment identification), dendrochronology (wood dating), pigment analysis, and paint layer examination. Increasingly decisive in recent attribution disputes.

Confidence Vocabulary Used on This Site

• Secure: Strong documentary and technical consensus — Leonardo's autograph work
• Workshop-assisted: Leonardo designed and began the work; assistants completed significant portions
• Disputed: Major ongoing scholarly disagreement between Leonardo and one or more Leonardeschi
• Leonardeschi: A follower's work, though strongly influenced by Leonardo's style or compositions

The Central Cases

The most contested Leonardo attributions include: the Salvator Mundi, La Belle Ferronnière (the sitter's identity dispute), La Bella Principessa (the authenticity dispute), and dozens of smaller panel paintings and drawings long attributed to various Leonardeschi.

Related Terms