Description
The Lady with an Ermine has been overpainted. Leonardo darkened the entire background, touched up her dress under the ermine, and the transparent veil worn by the woman was repainted to match the color of her hair.
This masterpiece by the Renaissance master, one of the few Renaissance portraits completed by Leonardo da Vinci, was a specific commission from Ludovico Sforza, known as "il Moro", Duke of Milan, for whom Leonardo worked during the period c.1482-99 .
The lady, actually a 16-year-old girl, is Cecilia Gallerani, supposedly the duke's favorite mistress, who gave birth to his son the same year he married Beatrice d'Este. Holding Ludovico il Moro's armored animal in his arms, he is shown turning to the right, his eyes fixed on something off-camera, a hint of a smile on his lips. One of the greatest paintings of the Renaissance, The Lady with the Ermine is the highlight of the Czartoryski Museum in Krakow.
The painting is famous for its masterful use of the chiaroscuro technique, which consists of representing the contrasts between light and shadow in a very precise way. In particular, the light illuminating the woman's face creates a sense of intimacy and mystery, and this is believed to have been one of the aspects that contributed to the popularity of the work.
It has also been suggested that the ermine held by the woman in the painting is a symbol of virtue and purity, and that the overall image of the woman is an idealized representation of feminine beauty and grace in the Italian Renaissance.
The Lady of the Ermine is ranked no. 46 on the list of famous paintings