"La Colombina" (Flora) (Primary Title)
copy after, Francesco Melzi, Italian, Milanese, 1493 - 1570 (Artist)
Flora, the ancient Roman goddess of springtime, was a popular subject in 16th-century Italian portraiture. Flowers often surround her to indicate the beauty of the season and the meaning of her name. Here Flora holds a sprig of columbine and some anemones, framed by forget-me-nots, violets, ferns, and ivy. Melzi was a close follower of and heir to Leonardo da Vinci. An early-19th-century account mentions a painting of Flora designed by Leonardo and painted by Melzi that likely refers to a similar one, with Melzi’s signature, now in the Hermitage Museum.
Gift of Arthur Glasgow
Flowers and Gardens in Art from the Middle Ages to the Present, Cummer Gallery of Art, Jacksonville, Fla., October 15 – November 25, 1962.
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
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