Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519)
The Lady with an Ermine (Portrait of Cecilia Gallerani)
oil and tempera on panel
54.8 x 40.3 cm. (21.5 x 15.8 in.)
painted circa 1489
Collection of Czartoryski Museum, Kraków, Poland
This portrait by Leonardo da Vinci was commissioned by the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, for whom he worked as an engineer.
The Duke was about to marry and had to abandon his mistress. He asked the painter to paint a portrait of his mistress, the beautiful Cecilia Gallerani. The painting was a parting gift! How thoughtful...
And what could be more commonplace in the Renaissance than a portrait of a favourite pet? Yes, but it's usually a dog. NACs (new pets) were not yet fashionable. So what does this white ermine have to do with it? A symbol of purity to pay homage to the lady. Yes, perhaps... But the ermine also appears on the coat of arms of the Duke of Milan, so the ermine would represent the Duke, who is being sensually caressed by the hand (which is a little large, by the way - Leonardo da Vinci wanted to demonstrate his mastery of anatomical drawing).
But above all, look closely. What's the animal hiding? The damsel's belly... That's right! Because the secret behind the ermine is that Cécilia is pregnant by her lover!
Want one last secret? Originally, the background of the painting wasn't this brown-black colour; it was blue. But one of its owners, the Polish art collector Izabela Czartoryska, didn't like blue and decided to make the painting blue.
