New research on Leda and the Swan by Leonardo da Vinci at Wilton House

This study offers an in-depth reassessment of the critical fate of Leda and the Swan by Leonardo da Vinci, by cross-referencing the analysis of early inventories, erudite seventeenth-century testimonies, Franco-English diplomatic networks, and the mechanisms of historical confusion. It aims at deconstructing the fragile, often arbitrary attributions that have contributed to the marginalization of certain works of the master. By refocusing attention on the Leda kept at Wilton House, regarded until the mid-20th century as a work by Leonardo himself, this research proposes a critical reassessment of its current attribution, considering newly uncovered historical and stylistic evidence.