It seems unlikely that any major discoveries can still exist regarding Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519, 5 centuries after his death. But the questionable in the realm of art still happens. Gather round boys and girls for a slice of Art History, with bonus sassy details. The French scientist Pascal Cotte spent three years using a pioneering reflective technology to examine A Lady with Ermine, publishing in 2014 that Leonardo painted three iterations of this work: one without an ermine, one with a grey ermine preceded the final version, with a larger white ermine.
Art historians generally concur this portrait is of Cecilia Gallerani, 1473-1536. By numerous accounts, she was a glamorous, highly intelligent young woman whose father served at the court of Ludovico Sforza, the powerful Duke of Milan (also patron of Leonardo da Vinci). Cecilia had been betrothed at the age of 10 to the nobleman Giovanni Stefano Visconti in an arrangement dissolved in 1487. Around 1489 she became the favorite mistress of Ludovico Sforza, himself betrothed to Beatrice d’Este since 1480.
In 1488 Ludovico was awarded the insignia of the chivalric Order of the Ermine by the King of Naples. Thereafter, the Duke of Milan was known as l’Emellino, the ermine. Given that nickname, the presence of the ermine in this portrait takes on significance in two ways. It is a reference to Cecilia’s surname because the sound of Galle-rani echoes the Greek word for ermine, gale.
This discovery is not only important technically, Martin Kemp puts his thoughts on the research into context, “it helps explain why he (Leonardo) had so much difficulty finishing paintings.” Figuratively the portrait shows Ludovico, as his symbolic animal, being lovingly caressed by Cecilia.
The three discrete versions unearthed by Cotte suggest that Leonardo reworked the portrait between 1488 and 1490, most likely to suggest the growing intimacy between Ludovico and his mistress. To avoid angering Beatrice, Ludovico had Cecilia removed from the ducal palace in 1491 and taken to a location where she gave birth to their son, Cesare.
Lady with an Ermine is unusual in other ways too. The only da Vinci painting on a jet black background; additionally, Leonardo deviated from the typical composition format of Italian Renaissance art, where the head and body face the same way. Here, the two are at opposing angles with Cecilia’s upper body turned to the left and her head turned to the right. The sinuous curve of her disproportionately large right hand stroking the figure of the ermine, whom she appears to be protecting.
By having the sitter avert her eyes, Leonardo invites the viewer to contemplate Cecilia’s state of mind. Appearing as content in the 1490 portrait, this would change when Beatrice and Sforza married in 1491. Documentary evidence indicates that Lady with an Ermine remained in the possession of Cecilia Gallerani, perhaps providing some solace. Leonardo also painted a portrait of Ludovico’s second mistress Lucrezia Crivelli, La Belle Ferroniere.
I do believe Ludovico had a type.
Eleanor Fortescue-Brickdale recreated the court of Ludovico il Mori in this 1920 image showing all the players of their stage, including Leonardo. Lady with Ermine was seized by the Nazis in 1940, then discovered by the allies in the country home of Governor General of Poland, Hans Frank. It was returned to the National Museum in Krakow in 1946.
Leonardo’s notebooks are now digitized online at this link on OpenCulture.
I hope you enjoyed this art vignette on Leonardo’s Lady with Ermine.
Cheers!
MJ