Artistic style painting of a lady with an ermine. Lady with an ermine

- Nature, are you angry, jealous of something?
- Da Vinci, who wrote the earthly star,
Cecilia, whose beautiful gaze shone so much,
That he managed to eclipse the face of the sun for a minute.

All honor goes to you alone, Nature; at least as if
On the canvas - all hearing, closed lips...
Know that she is now alive forever,
And it became an eternal attribute of your glory.

For this, praise Il Moro. Or still,
Leonardo's talent and hand were praised,
He preserved you forever for posterity.

Bernardo Bellincione

Leonardo da Vinci. Lady with an ermine. 1489 - 1490

Women in Poland have always had a special position. Therefore, the fact that the Poles “got” this particular masterpiece of Leonardo can be seen as a certain sign of fate. "Lady with an ermine." Cecilia Gallerani. A young beauty, an intellectual, well versed in art, philosophy, mastering several foreign languages, the future owner of one of the most famous literary salons in Europe. (“At the time when the most noble and worthy Signora Cecilia, Countess Bergamini, drank the mineral waters of Bagno d’Acquano to improve her ailments, many gentlemen and ladies visited her, partly because she was friendly and kind, partly due to the fact that in her company one could meet the very best and outstanding minds Milan, as well as with foreigners who happened to be here. Military leaders talked here about military affairs, musicians sang, painters and artists painted, philosophers talked about nature, and poets recited their own and other people’s poems; so that the wishes of everyone who wanted to speak out or hear worthy judgments were fulfilled, since in the presence of this heroine things were always discussed that were very pleasant, virtuous and noble.” M. Bandello)

But this is in the future, when she gets married, if not out of convenience, then at least out of a desire to get a certain social status and will become Countess Bergamini. And now she is the beloved of the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza. For now he shares power with his mother. But he will definitely become the sole ruler. Cecilia will bear him a son, Cesare, whom Sforzo officially adopts. And then they will part. This is how the circumstances will turn out. Perhaps, trying to forget her, Ludovico will find a replacement for her, and a little later, covering up his not very high-born origin, he will marry someone else. He will outlive his wife and will grieve inconsolably after losing her. During the Italian Wars he will be captured by the French, and will end his days in prison, broken and dejected.

G. Memling. Portrait young man. 1485 - 1490 It is this portrait on the Internet that is persistently associated with Lodovico Sforza. But in the artist’s “galleries” it’s simple - “Portrait of a Young Man”

Leonardo da Vinci. La Belle Ferroniere supposedly depicts Lucrezia Crivelli, the next favorite of Lodovico il Moro.

Ambrogio de Predis. Portrait of Beatrice d'Este, wife of Lodovico Sforzo, c. 1490

Lodovico Sforza. (Il Moro)

Lodovico Maria Sforzo. Sforza Altarpiece, 1494 Brera, Milan.

Sforza Altarpiece, 1494 Brera, Milan.

But all this is also in the future. Now Cecilia and Lodovico il Moro are happy.

Her portrait is painted by the Florentine Leonardo da Vinci, who was invited to Milan, mainly as an engineer and sculptor. .

Experts believe that a small sketch recently found in Leonardo da Vinci's diaries is his earliest self-portrait. The sketch, which is over 500 years old, was hidden from the eyes of specialists, since it was visually crossed out and was discovered only with the help of special equipment.

The Sforzo Castle, where the portrait is being painted, is noisy and fun. Leonardo is the soul of the meeting. He is a wonderful conversationalist himself, he adores interesting conversations. His speech is figurative, aphoristic, witty and full of unexpected riddles. But young Cecilia is not afraid of surprises. She is alive, brave and free, like this predatory animal in her arms. She is strong and independent, it is not for nothing that they will call her “the new Sappho.” Only for a second does Cecilia think about the answer. They have a lot to talk about. For example, about music. They both play the lute beautifully. Or about literature. They love to read their own poems to each other.

These two will not lose each other when the sessions are over. Leonardo will write letters to her. "The incomparable Donna Cecilia. My beloved goddess. Having read your most tender..." Courtly, in the spirit of the times, appeal is colored by the irony inherent in both of them. But the fact that they are on first name terms with each other in this ceremonial 15th century speaks of spiritual closeness, they are “of the same blood,” birds of the same flight...

Perhaps it was Cecilia, her beauty and freedom, that would encourage Leonardo to use a new (well-forgotten old) ancient technique - contrapposto (although in fairness, it must be said that at this time he was experimenting a lot with the so-called “shoulder portrait”, exploring the plastic possibilities human body) . His friend the poet Bernardo Bellincione will notice this:

“In the portrait of Signora Cecilia Gallerani, the shoulders are turned in such a way that it is completely clear how much their movement depends on the position of the hands and the turn of the head. If the shoulders move further, the head will also turn, but in accordance with the rule of contrapposto in the opposite direction. Adolescent in its proportions and thinness, Signora Cecilia's hand is folded like a ladle and the middle phalanges of the fingers are spread apart: the ladle is enclosed by an animal, clinging in fear to the flat chest of the signora - a white marten, the kind that is kept in houses for entertainment. The image of a marten is interpreted in two ways - as a symbol of virginity and as a symbol of power. The first does not fit here - the second remains: the marten can become an ermine, and Lodovico Moro - the Duke of Milan"

Judging by the letter Cecilia Gallerani to her friend Isabella d'Estedated April 29, 1498, the portrait was her property. Further, his traces are lost, a reliable history can be traced from With late XVIII century: in 1798 (presumably) the canvas was brought from Italy to Krakow by the future Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Adam Czartoryski.

I.I. Oleshkevich. Portrait of A. Czartoryski.

He gave the legendary painting to his mother, Izabella Czartoryska. She placed it in the museum she founded on her estate Puławy also in 1778

A. Roslin. Portrait of Isabella Czartoryska, founder of the first art museum in Poland.

During the Polish Uprising of 1830 the Czartoryski property was confiscated Russian Empire, but Czartoryski sent the painting to Paris, and it was in Hotel Lambert , where the prince lived and his collection was housed.

Hotel Lambert. 17th century mansion in the center of Paris on the Ile Saint Louis. Since 1843, the political and cultural center of the Polish emigrant diaspora in France, led by the Czartoryski brothers. The mansion was bought by the wife of Adam Jerzy Czartoryski after the defeat of the uprising of 1830 - 1831. Over time, especially after the defeat of the 1863 uprising, the Hotel Lambert lost its purely political face and became cultural center Polish diaspora. They performed here Balzac , Hector Berlioz, Adam Mickiewicz, Chopin .

Isabella's grandson Vladislav, fleeing from Franco-Prussian War , left France and returned the congregation to Poland in 1876, where it opened in Krakow Czartoryski Museum , of which the picture became a part.

The building of the Czartoryski Museum - an art collection consisting of National Museum- former Krakow arsenal.

After Germany occupied Poland in 1939 the painting was taken away with the aim of sending it to the Hitler Museum in Lincei placed in Berlin Museum Kaiser Friedrich (now the Bode Museum). In 1940, Hans Frank, Governor General Poland, ordered her to be returned to his residence in Krakow. At the end of the war, the painting was discovered by a Polish-American commission in Frank's house in Bavaria and in 1946 returned to Poland.

The painting "Lady with an Ermine" is one of the most famous in Leonardo's work.
According to many researchers, this is a portrait of Cecilia Gallerani, the mistress of Lodovico Sforza, nicknamed Il Moro, Duke of Milan, which is confirmed in the complex symbolism of the painting.

Along with the "Mona Lisa", "Portrait of Ginevra de Benci" and "Beautiful Ferroniere" the canvas belongs to number four women's portraits brushes by Leonardo.

WHO IS SHE CECILIA GALLERANI?

Cecilia was born in Siena in big family. Her father Fazio was not a nobleman, but held several positions in the Milanese court, including the post of ambassador to Florence. Together with her brothers, Cecilia studied Latin language and literature.

In 1483, at the age of ten, she was engaged to Stefano Visconti, but the engagement was broken off in 1487 for unknown reasons. In May 1489 she left home for the Nuovo monastery, and it may have been there that she met the Duke. On May 3, 1491, she gave birth to his son Cesare (Cesare Sforza Visconti), in the same year he married the noble Beatrice d'Este. After Lodovico's marriage, she continued to live in his castle for some time, although by this time his new Lucrezia Crivelli has already become the favorite.

But then the new duchess found out about the bastard’s mother, and Lodovico had to break up with her: “Beatrice, having just gotten married and learned about this relationship with the duke, was jealous of him, threatened to return to the house of her father, the Duke of Ferrara, Ercole d'Este, and Moreau was forced “he solemnly swore, in the presence of ambassadors, not to violate marital fidelity, in confirmation of which he married Cecilia to the old, bankrupt Count Bergamini, an easygoing man, ready for all kinds of services.”

Merezhkovsky D.S. in his book mentions the friendship of Cecilia and Lucrezia Crivelli after the death of Duchess Beatrice: according to him, after the death of his wife, Lodovico became even more attached to his mistresses. Cecilia (who, despite her learning, was “simple and kind woman, although somewhat enthusiastic") convinced her former rival to become friends and console the Duke together.

When Lucrezia had a son from Moreau, the countess wished to be a godmother and “with exaggerated tenderness began to nurse the child, ‘her grandson,’ as she called him.” Lodovico was so happy strange friendship and commissioned a sonnet from the court poet. In it, “Cecilia and Lucretia were compared with the evening and morning dawn, and he himself, an inconsolable widower, between both radiant goddesses, with on a dark night, forever far from the sun, - with Beatrice"

Cecilia was a gifted and educated woman, she spoke Latin fluently, sang beautifully, played music and wrote poetry in several languages, and was distinguished by her wit.

In 1492, after her marriage to Ludovico di Brambilla, Count of Bergamino, she was given the Carmagnola Palace. She gave birth husband of four children. After the death of her husband and son Cesare in 1514-1515, the castle moved to the vicinity of Cremona - San Giovanni in Croce.

Bandello describes her as a patron of the arts; according to other evidence, her salon was the first in Europe. She kept a salon until the French confiscated the lands in Saronno and Pavia, granted to her bastard by her father, and she had to leave for Mantua.
She was able to restore her prosperity when the Sforzas were returned to power. Like most educated women of her time, Cecilia was engaged in culture only for her own pleasure. She never published poems or texts written by her.
She died at the age of 63 and was probably buried in the Carminati family chapel in the Church of San Zavedro.

CECILIA AND LEONARDO.

Cecilia met Leonardo at the Sforza Castle; it is believed that in 1489 he began painting her portrait. She invited him to meetings of Milanese intellectuals where philosophy and other sciences were discussed; Cecilia personally chaired these meetings.

Leonardo has preserved a draft of a letter, presumably addressed to Cecilia and beginning: “My beloved goddess...”; it is also known that they used “you” among themselves, although in that era even friends and close relatives addressed each other as “you.” Based on these facts (as well as on the sexual connotation, according to many, present in the painting “Lady with an ermine"), some researchers are inclined to consider their relationship intimate. However, the fact that it is she who is depicted in the portrait has not been reliably proven.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PICTURE.

In the portrait we see a fragile girl with a slight smile and a soulful gaze. She holds a white animal in her arms, pressing it with thin and mobile fingers. A transparent cap, secured under the chin, emphasizes the tenderness of the oval of her face.

A simple necklace of dark pearls, edging the neck and descending in a second oval to the chest, where it is barely visible against the background of the square neckline of the dress, constitutes the girl’s only decoration.

Two large, attentively looking eyes stand out on the face, a straight and chiseled nose, a small mouth with thin lips slightly touched by a smile at the corners. The interpretation of the fur of the animal, depicted with an outstretched paw, is also wonderful; White color wool identifies him with the winter ermine, a symbol of purity.

The girl's forehead is intercepted by a thin feroniere, and she has a transparent cap on her head, secured under her chin. On her neck is a necklace of dark pearls, bordering her neck and descending in a second, long loop onto her chest, where it is visually lost against the background of the square neckline of the dress.

Cecilia Gallerani is depicted half-turned, which, despite the strong tilt of her head to the left shoulder, looks very natural. This impression is complemented by soft and gentle features an immature face framed by hair smoothly laid under the chin. The severity of the hairstyle and the gaze averted away from the viewer create a feeling of a dim, restrained image; in Cecilia’s appearance some kind of incompleteness is felt, which gives her a peculiar charm.

The ermine was considered a symbol of purity and chastity and, according to legend, died if its skin became dirty and lost its white color.

According to K. Pedretti: “Perhaps the most beautiful picture Leonardo da Vinci. The basis is the originality of the pose, bright expressiveness, which seems to establish a symbolic relationship between the aristocratic face of the woman and the heraldic sign of the animal. With this painting, Leonardo da Vinci begins the tradition of fifteenth-century portraits: it is no longer given the profile of the model, as on a medal, but a three-quarter image, typical of busts. There is a naturalness to it, a capture of one moment, similar to frames in a cinematograph.”

A COMPLETELY UNUSUAL HISTORY OF THE PICTURE.

During the First World War, the painting was sent to Dresden gallery. Shortly before the outbreak of World War II, it was again hidden, but in September 1939 it fell into the hands of the Nazis.

After the German occupation of Poland in 1939, the painting was taken to the Hitler Museum in Linz and placed in the Kaiser Friedrich Museum in Berlin (now the Bode Museum). In 1940, Hans Frank, Governor General of Poland, ordered her return to his residence in Krakow. At the end of the war, it was discovered by a Polish-American commission in Frank's house in Bavaria and returned to Poland in 1946.
The painting is the only work by da Vinci in Poland and forms the subject national pride.

Discussion of the picture http://maxpark.com/community/6782/content/2441727

Krakow - amazing city With rich history and architecture. Every tourist coming here begins his acquaintance with a tour of Royal castle Wawel, located on a hill with stunning views of the city and the Vistula River.

Just at this time there was an exhibition of paintings by Leonardo Da Vinci."Lady with an Ermine", which was provided by the Czartoryski Museum. It was extremely interesting for me to see another masterpiece of the great master live. The painting was painted by the artist around 1490. Painting size 54.8 x 40.3 cm, oil on wood. In the portrait Leonardo da Vinci introduced new trick volumetric modeling of the figure. Florentine masters, for whom linear-volumetric elements played a leading role in their figurative language, have long been famous for the clear, sharp plasticity of their images. Leonardo da Vinci did not like strong direct lighting, which produced too harsh shadows and highlights. Continuing the theme of innovation, we can say that the lady in the portrait is depicted in three-quarters, and her gaze is directed not towards the viewer, but somewhere into the distance, beyond the frame. And despite the fact that the turn is strong, it looks completely alive and natural. This invention also belongs to Leonardo.

The plot of the picture is an image of a fragile girl with a light, pleasant smile and a soulful gaze. She holds a white animal in her arms, pressing it with thin and mobile fingers. A transparent cap, secured under the chin, emphasizes the tenderness of the oval of her face. A simple necklace of dark pearls, edging the neck and descending in a second oval to the chest, where it is barely visible against the background of the square neckline of the dress, constitutes the only decoration. Two large, attentively looking eyes stand out on the face, a straight and chiseled nose, a small mouth with thin lips slightly touched by a smile at the corners. The interpretation of the fur of the animal, depicted with an outstretched paw, is also wonderful; the white color of his coat identifies him with the winter ermine, a symbol of purity.

The word "ermine" in Greek is "gale", which refers to the Galleroni family name.

In fact, the painting depicts an albino ferret. But ferrets, stoats, and also weasels belong to the same genus, small mustelids, and are similar to each other, so this is not a noticeable difference. In the Middle Ages, small mustelids were kept as pets to exterminate rodents and they did not make much difference between them; if the animal is long, with a tail, runs around the house and catches mice, then it is an ermine. Nowadays, the portrait of "Lady with an Ermine" looks extremely exotic. Now mustelids are considered wild animals and difficult to tame. And it’s more natural for a lady to pose with a cat in her arms. But in those days it was the cat that was considered an exotic animal. Cats lived in North Africa and the Middle East and did not appear in Europe for a very long time. The ancient Greeks knew nothing about cats, and neither did the ancient Romans. In the 1st century after the birth of Christ, animals began to be imported to Europe - as an overseas miracle. They began to be bred, but the cats were catastrophically unlucky at that time; they began to spread throughout Europe simultaneously with Christianity. In the Middle Ages, European Christians hated the East and everything that came from the East, so the cat was declared evil spirits, an accomplice of the devil and was quickly destroyed. As for the model of the portrait itself, many agree on the assumption that it depicts Cecilia Gallerani, the married Countess of Bergamino, one of the constant lovers of the Duke of Milan, Lodovico Sforza. Cecilia was a gifted and educated woman, she spoke Latin fluently, sang beautifully, played music and wrote poetry in several languages, and was distinguished by her elegant wit. She met Leonardo da Vinci at the Sforza Castle, and it is generally believed that in 1489 he began painting her portrait. She invited Leonardo da Vinci to meetings of Milanese philosophers and writers, where history, natural science and other sciences were discussed. Cecilia personally chaired these meetings. Leonardo has preserved a draft of a letter, presumably addressed to her and beginning: “My beloved goddess...”; it is reliably known that they spoke to each other on a first name basis, although in that era even friends and close relatives addressed each other as “you”. Also, according to many creativity researchers genius artist the picture is clearly saturated with an erotic-sexual atmosphere. Based on these facts, historians of Renaissance art and scholars of Leonardo's paintings tend to consider their relationship to be intimate. However, one hundred percent documentary reliability of the fact that it is Lady Cecilia Gallerani who is depicted in the portrait has not been found. In 1492, after her marriage to Ludovico di Brambilla, Count of Bergamino, she was given the Carmagnola Palace. She bore her husband four children. After the death of her husband in 1515, she moved to the castle. Like most educated women of her time, she studied art and literature only for her own pleasure. She never published poetry or texts. The painting has been heavily rewritten, which does not allow us to say with complete certainty that its author is Leonardo. Nevertheless, good condition the preservation of those parts of the painting that depict the woman’s face and the figure of an ermine, reveals high craftsmanship execution. Besides Leonardo, the work was previously attributed to to different artists: Marco d'Oggiono, Boltraffio, Ambrogio or Predisu.

The canvas is shrouded in mystery and mystery to this day. French scientist and researcher Pascal Cotte discovered two other layers of paint on the canvas. If previously it was believed that this ceremonial animal was always present in the picture, now with the help new technology reflected light proves that the master initially painted simply a portrait of Cecilia Gallerani, the mistress of Duke Ludovico Moro. Initially there were no animals on the canvas, and the brush right hand Cecilia rested on her left wrist. And only then the great Italian added to the portrait an image of an ermine. According to one version, this animal in the picture symbolizes the Duke himself, who was a member of the Order of the Ermine and had the nickname White Ermine. Cott, who studied the painting for three years, came to the conclusion that the animal painted on the canvas initially looked completely different. At first he was rather frail and gray, but in final version Da Vinci, the animal became large and muscular, and the color of its coat became white. Experts on the work of Leonardo da Vinci believe that this discovery says a lot about the peculiarities of the artist’s work on the work, and also sheds light on the history of the painting.

Possible portrait model

It is traditionally believed that the model was the mistress of the Duke of Milan, Cecilia Gallerani. Previously, there was a version that the same woman is depicted in another portrait of Leonardo - “Beautiful Ferroniere", although in currently it is speculated that he portrays the Duke's next mistress, Lucrezia Crivelli.

The identification of this portrait as an image of Gallerani dates back to modern times. Back in 1877, researchers of Leonardo’s work wrote: “from this portrait, glorified by poets, all that remains is a few controversial copies and a sonnet by Bellincioni. Indicate that original portrait The beauty of Cecilia was during the 18th century in the possession of the Marquis of Boursane in Milan. But where is he now? Previously, an ancient copy of it was in the Ambrosian Library; and in the Pinakothek of Munich there is a “Saint Cecilia”, which was formerly in the possession of Professor Franchi and comes from a copy of one of Leonardo’s students from the very unholy Cecilia Gallerani. There is also a second original portrait of Cecilia, located in the Pallavicini family in San Calocero, painted at the height of her fame."

History and date of creation

It is assumed that Leonardo, who worked at the Milanese court, painted the portrait when Cecilia became the Duke's lover - starting in 1489-1490. It is customary in the literature to indicate that the portrait depicts 17-year-old Cecilia, which, however, cannot be proven. On the other hand, there is dating dating back to early period his work in Milan, - 1482-1483. In this case, the portrait does not depict Cecilia, since she was then about 10 years old. According to other indications: “The portrait was painted after 1487, as indicated by Cecilia’s hairstyle in the Spanish fashion introduced in Milan by Isabella of Aragon,” the date of her marriage to her nephew Lodovico Sforza is known.

Sonnet XLV

To the portrait of Madonna Cecilia,
written by Leonardo

– Nature, are you angry, jealous of something?
- Da Vinci, who wrote the earthly star,
Cecilia, whose beautiful gaze shone so much,
That he managed to eclipse the face of the sun for a minute.

– All honor goes to you alone, Nature; at least as if
On the canvas - all the hearing, closed lips...
Know that she is now alive forever,
And it became an eternal attribute of your glory.

For this, praise Il Moro. Or still,
Leonardo's talent and hand were praised,
He preserved you forever for posterity.

When people see the portrait, they will say it’s a dream,
What was given to them now as a gift,
A captivating example of the nature of miracles.

There is indirect information about Cecilia’s acquaintance with Leonardo. She met him at the Sforza Castle, and it is believed that in 1489 he began painting her portrait. She invited him to meetings of Milanese intellectuals where philosophy and other sciences were discussed; Cecilia personally chaired these meetings.

Leonardo has preserved a draft of a letter, supposedly addressed to Cecilia and beginning: "My beloved goddess..." (amantissima mia diva). There are assumptions about an intimate relationship between Leonardo and Cecilia, but they are little substantiated, since such a syllable was not distinctive feature love correspondence, and reliable evidence There is no information about Leonardo's interest in women.

Cecilia replies that the portrait no longer resembles the original, since it was painted when she was still very young, and her appearance has since completely changed ( per esser fatto esso ritratto in una eta sm imperfecta che io ho poi cambiata tutta quella effigie) (She writes "15 years have passed", which places the date in 1483, when in fact she was 10 years old.) The portrait was sent to Isabella.

Authorship and preservation

The painting has been heavily rewritten, which does not allow us to say with complete certainty that its author is Leonardo. However, the good state of preservation of those parts of the painting that depict the girl’s face and the figure of an ermine reveals high craftsmanship.

In addition to Leonardo, the work was previously attributed to various artists: Marco d'Oggiono, Boltraffio, Ambrogio di Predisu.

An X-ray examination of the painting revealed that it had been copied. Her background became darker (it may have originally been dark blue), and the door (window) that was located at the top right (behind her left shoulder) was removed. The background was recorded during the repair of the painting between 1830-70, it is believed that this could have been done by Eugene Delacroix.

In the original image, the woman's head was adorned with a transparent veil, which was retouched with hair. The bridge of the nose and hairline have been changed. The position of the two lower fingers on the right hand is also changed, and they look less natural than the others. Inscription "LA BELE FERONIERE LEONARD D'AWINCI" in the upper left corner was made later and not by Leonardo’s hand - it is assumed that in early XIX century after the purchase of the painting by Czartoryski, since he assumed that this painting was the same woman as the “Beautiful Ferroniere” from the Louvre. In any case, the inscription was not made in Italy, since there they would have written the name Leonard with an "O" at the end and would not have used a "W".

The study found traces of technology spolvere on the contours of the figure and head, which confirms the use of “cardboard” - the original drawing, which was transferred to the painting board by overlay and drawing on top. Fingerprints, which are usually found in Leonardo's paintings of this period (he slightly smudged the paint), were also identified on Cecilia's face and the head of the animal. X-rays showed that Leonardo initially wanted to surround the figure with an arch or semicircular window, but then changed his mind.

Description of the painting and its symbolism

The girl's forehead is covered with a thin feronniere, and she has a transparent cap on her head, secured under her chin. On her neck is a necklace of dark pearls, bordering her neck and descending in a second, long loop onto her chest, where it is visually lost against the background of the square neckline of the dress.

Cecilia Gallerani is depicted turning her head slightly to the side, which, despite the strong tilt of her head to the left shoulder, looks very natural. This impression is complemented by the soft and delicate features of an immature face, framed by hair smoothly laid under the chin. The severity of the hairstyle and the gaze averted away from the viewer create a feeling of a dim, restrained image; in Cecilia’s appearance some kind of incompleteness is felt, which gives her a peculiar charm.

In the portrait, Cecilia turns to the left, as if listening to someone invisible (this was first noted by the poet Bernardo Bellincione). This three-quarter portrait was one of Leonardo's inventions.

According to K. Pedretti: “Perhaps the most beautiful painting by Leonardo da Vinci. The basis is the originality of the pose, bright expressiveness, which seems to establish a symbolic relationship between the aristocratic face of the woman and the heraldic sign of the animal. With this painting, Leonardo da Vinci begins the tradition of fifteenth-century portraits: it is no longer given the profile of the model, as on a medal, but a three-quarter image, typical of busts. There is a naturalness to it, a fixation of one moment, similar to frames in a cinematograph.”

There is a version, held by Wilhelm von Bode among others, that the painting depicts not an ermine, but a white domestic ferret.

History of canvas in modern times

Reliable written history This painting can be traced back to the end of the 18th century: in 1798 (presumably) the canvas was brought from Italy to Krakow by the future Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Adam Czartoryski. His mother Isabella, to whom he gave the painting, placed the painting in the museum she founded on her Puławy estate in 1802.

The painting is the only work by da Vinci in Poland and is a source of national pride. Film "All-in 3" (Polish. Vinci) dedicated fictional story its theft, as well as the nobility of a swindler who cannot agree to steal such a treasure from his homeland.

Notes

Comments

Sources

1. Leonardo da Vinci A Treatise on Painting by Leonardo Da Vinci. - Kessinger Publishing (reprint of the 1877 edition), 2004. - P. 226. - 340 p. - ISBN 9781417948352
2. Mikhailov, B. P. Leonardo da Vinci Architect. - M.: State Publishing House of Literature on Construction and Architecture, 1952.
3. Translation by Sofia Ponomareva
4. Leo Calvin Rosten The story behind the painting. - Cowles Magazines & book trade distribution by Doubleday, Garden City, 1962. - P. 32. - 165 p.
5. Gastev, A. A. Chapter 16 // Leonardo da Vinci. - M.: Young Guard, 1982. - (Life of wonderful people).
6. Gaia Servadio Renaissance woman. - I.B.Tauris, 2005. - P. 52. - 274 p. - ISBN 9781850434214
7. Cecilia Gallerani: Leonardo's Lady with an Ermine, by Janice Shell and Grazioso Sironi
8. Italian home galleries Lady with an Ermine: PRESERVATION AND SCIENTIFIC EXAMINATIONS (English). Archived from the original on January 28, 2012. Retrieved December 13, 2011.
9. Portrait of Cecilia Gallerani (The Lady with the Ermine) 1490. University of the Arts,London. Archived
10. Lady with the Ermine. BBC (2006). Archived from the original on January 28, 2012. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
11. D. K. Samin Leonardo da Vinci // One Hundred Great Artists. - Veche, 2005. - ISBN 5-9533-0862-0
12. Grashchenkov V. N. Portrait in Italian painting Early Renaissance. M., 1996. P. 237

There are many legends surrounding the personality of one of the most iconic artists of all time, Leonardo da Vinci. And even more so around his immortal creations.

Today we will talk about the canvas, which, along with the Mona Lisa, Portrait of Ginevra de Benci and La Belle Ferronière, is one of Leonardo’s four female portraits.

So, we know that studying something is usually very boring, so the editors "AWESOME" publishes Interesting Facts about the painting “Lady with an Ermine” by Leonardo da Vinci.

1. According to many researchers, this is a portrait of Cecilia Gallerani, the mistress of Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan.

2. Who is this Cecilia anyway? Cecilia was born into a large family in Siena. Her father Fazio held several high-profile positions in the Milanese court, including ambassador to Florence. Together with her brothers, Cecilia studied Latin language and literature.

In 1483, at the age of 10, the girl was engaged to Stefano Visconti, but in 1487, for unknown reasons, the engagement was broken off. In 1489, Cecilia leaves home for the Nuovo monastery and meets her duke there. On May 3, 1491, she gave birth to his son, Cesare. But Lodovico marries a certain Beatrice d'Este. After Lodovico's marriage, Cecilia continues to live in his castle for some time, although by this time he already had a new favorite - Lucrezia Crivelli.

Beatrice later dies. Cecilia establishes a trusting relationship with Lodovico's mistress, Lucrezia, then becomes the duke's legal wife and gives birth to four more children. In 1492, after her wedding to Ludovico di Brambilla, Cecilia received the Carmagnola Palace as a gift from him.

3. Cecilia met Leonardo at the Sforza Castle. And in 1489 the artist began to paint her portrait. Cecilia often invited the master to meetings of Milanese intellectuals. Leonardo da Vinci has preserved a draft of a letter supposedly addressed to Cecilia and beginning with the words: “My beloved goddess...”. It is also known that these two were on first name terms with each other, although in those days even friends addressed each other as “you”. Researchers suspect that there was an intimate relationship between them.

4. Leonardo da Vinci wrote “The Lady with an Ermine” in three stages. According to Pascal Cotte, who is studying the masterpiece with the help of a special photo scanner, at first there was no trace of any animal in the picture, just as there was no sign of it. foreground a masterfully painted right hand. This is all due to the eternal doubts and innate perfectionism of the artist.

Having cleaned the picture of centuries-old dirt and varnish, Cott noticed an interesting detail: at first the lady was completely empty-handed. Later, an ermine and a ceremonial blue cape appeared in her hands.

5. At first, the woman’s head was decorated with a transparent veil, which was later covered with hair. In addition, the bridge of the nose and hairline were changed.

6. The question arises: why did the lady need an ermine? So, there are several versions about this. According to the first version, ermine in Greek sounds like γαλῆ (gale). The canvas most likely depicts Cecilia Gallerani, the mistress of the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza. As you know, the ermine was the emblem of the Sforza family. According to the second version, Cecilia may have been pregnant at the time of painting, and the ermine covering her belly is a symbol of chastity and purity. According to the third version, Cecilia was an imperious young lady and held the Duke, so to speak, with a tight rein.

7. And in general, this is not an ermine... The girl is holding in her arms not an ermine, but a white ferret. The title of the painting apparently comes from a play on words: in ancient Greek, the word for “ermine” sounds like “gale”, which is consonant with the surname Gallerani.

8. By the way, it was previously assumed that the painting was painted by Leonardo’s students: Marco d’Oggiono, Ambrogio de Predis and Boltraffio. Only in the 21st century did Pascal Cott manage to prove Leonardo’s authorship; he saw the fingerprints of da Vinci himself in the painting.