Girl with Cherries 1491 - 1495

Marco d'Oggiono painted 'Girl with Cherries' in oil on wood panel sometime around the turn of the 16th century, likely in Milan. D’Oggiono was a follower of Leonardo da Vinci. His image of a young woman holding fruit speaks to the Renaissance interest in classical themes, while also reflecting the realities of courtly life. The girl’s wreath and elegant dress speak to the aristocratic fashion and the leisurely cultivation of beauty so central to the values of the Italian Renaissance. However, this carefully posed image also reveals a gendered social structure: the woman is an object of aesthetic contemplation, rather than an active participant in civic life. Her gaze is demure, and her primary role is to embody beauty and grace. As historians, we turn to sources like fashion studies, social histories, and literary texts to better understand the complex relationship between art and life in Renaissance Italy. By situating ‘Girl with Cherries’ in its proper historical context, we appreciate its entanglement with the social structures of its time.