More halfassed “Leonardo” rumor mongering

In the interest of keeping the MFA “Leonardo” rumors going, we note that Sotheby’s plans to auction a “Leonardo” painting in New York on Jan. 28. Could this be the painting that Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts is rumored to “have in its possession,” at least according to The Washington Post? Alas, probably not. But just in case, we asked if the MFA or their representatives have shown any interest in purchasing this painting.

“I don’t have the information regarding your question, nor are we able to share that information,” a Sotheby’s spokesperson says.

Which means that you could own this “Portrait of a Woman” called “La Belle Ferronnière” (pictured here) for somewhere between $300,000 and $500,000, if Sotheby’s estimates prove accurate. The auction house attributes it to a “Follower of Leonardo da Vinci” and says it depicts “a lady in three-quarters profile, the portrait is another version of a composition in the Louvre, now believed to be by either Leonardo or one of his pupils, depicting Lucrezia Crivelli, a mistress of Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan.”