Embroidery of La Scapigliata by Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was a maestro during the Renaissance in Italy. He left lots of sketching, illustrations, and notes, known for detailed observation and lines balanced between rigid and soft. In particular, he excelled at presenting the subtle variation of light with slashes of varied density. In this work, the female presents a sense of tranquility via her slightly moody facial expression, while her lips are shaped into an ambiguous smile, evocative of Mona Lisa, despite the portrayal with mere simple strokes.

YU Fu-Zhen embroidered the work purely with black threads, yet from light to dark across over ten scales. The work was embroidered with the Straight Stitch Variation of Su Embroidery and the Loose Trocar, subtly yet vividly capturing the spirit of the original work. Now that the work was produced solely by Yu, she thus left her signature in the bottom right of the image as artisan’s inscription.