With ermine Leonardo da Vinci. Description of the artwork “Lady with an ermine”

Some (with good reason?) believe that this particular painting is the best of all created by Leonardo da Vinci. She was simply not lucky enough to become as famous as La Gioconda: she does not live in the Louvre, she was not stolen, and her disappearance was not written about on the front pages of all newspapers for several months.

It is curious that the authorship attributed to Leonardo da Vinci "Ladies with Ermine" for a long time was questioned, as was the identity of the girl depicted in this painting. Disputes regarding this still flare up periodically, when the technical means of the digital era make it possible to examine the picture from a new angle.

For now, it is worth dwelling on the fact that the portrait depicts Cecilia (Cecilia) Gallerani, mistress of the Duke of Milan Ludovico Sforza, mother of his son Cesare. The artist made sure that as few details as possible distract the viewer from the young and fresh beauty of the model. Da Vinci portrayed her in simple dress, and of the jewelry he left on the girl only a string of black pearls. Even Cecilia's smoothly combed hair seems to serve precisely this purpose (this hairstyle - with a braid and tightly covering the face strands of hair - was introduced into fashion by Isabella of Aragon and was called coazone). The half-turned image of the model was Leonardo's innovation; before that, portraits were mostly chased profiles. And even with this unusual pose, the artist managed to emphasize the liveliness of the character of the young model, who seemed to be listening to an invisible interlocutor.

In her arms Gallerani holds a white animal, which is considered to be an ermine. There are several interpretations of what exactly the animal symbolizes. Traditionally, the “winter” white ermine was considered a symbol of purity and purity; there was even a belief that it would rather die than allow itself to stain its snow-white fur. According to another version, the animal serves as a kind of allusion to the girl’s connection with Lodovico Sforza, who in 1488 was admitted to the Order of the Ermine and included the animal in his coat of arms. In addition, there is an opinion that, being a great lover of riddles and codes, da Vinci, with the help of an ermine, encrypted the name Gallerani on the canvas (in ancient Greek the entire family of mustelids was called “gale”).

Milanese muse

Cecilia Gallerani was born in 1473 in big family, who could not boast of either wealth or nobility. The girl had six brothers, along with whom she studied languages, she spoke Latin fluently, sang and played musical instruments, wrote poetry. Her education and talent, combined with her pretty appearance, attracted the attention of Lodovico Sforza, nicknamed Il Moro, in whose service Gallerani's father was. It was probably the Duke of Milan who caused the break in Cecilia’s engagement to a certain Giovanni Stefano Visconti, to whom she was promised as a wife at the age of 10.

Gallerani became Sforza's lover at the age of approximately 16-17 years. According to contemporaries, the girl accompanied the duke everywhere; he was sincerely attached to her and settled her in his castle, giving her several rooms. Cecilia remained in the castle even after Sforza married Beatrice d'Este, and Lodovico sometimes secretly visited the rooms of his mistress, who was expecting a child from him at that time. Naturally, all this could not escape the attention of the duke’s legal wife; Beatrice was jealous of his rival and, in the end, forced him to break off relations with Cecilia. After Gallerani gave birth to a son, Cesare, Sforza married her to the bankrupt Lodovico di Brambilla, Count of Bergamini, and gave her a palace.

During the marriage, Cecilia gave birth to four more children and became a very popular figure in Milan thanks to the fact that she opened one of the first literary salons in Europe. Marriage did not in any way affect the woman’s hobbies; she not only continued to write herself, but also began to gather philosophers, theologians and poets in her house, who called her their muse. Cecilia also appeared at the Sforza court, especially often after the death of Lodovico’s wife in 1497. Ex-lover The Duke, along with his new mistress Lucrezia Crivelli, was supported and cared for by Il Moro after the loss. Cecilia died at the age of 63, outliving both Ludovico Sforza and Leonardo da Vinci, who glorified her throughout the centuries.

Author, author!

The painting “Lady with an Ermine” underwent two very detailed laboratory studies, designed, in particular, to confirm the authorship of Leonardo da Vinci. The results of the first, conducted by Warsaw scientists, were published in 1955. The second study, together with restoration, was carried out in 1992 in laboratories National Gallery of the Arts of Washington, led by art conservationist David Bull. The scientist was stunned by Leonardo's skill; he later said that upon careful study of the painting, it seems that the artist began painting his model from a skeleton, adding flesh and clothing only after he understood the mechanics of her body.

The fact that the author of the painting “Lady with an Ermine” is da Vinci is evidenced by several factors. Firstly, there is documentary evidence that the artist knew Cecilia Gallerani (moreover, they had a tender friendship) and painted her portrait. Secondly, the color scheme of the painting, the play of light and shadow, as well as the three-quarter rotation of the model’s head speak in favor of Leonardo’s authorship. Thirdly, fingerprints were found on the canvas, characteristic of other works by the artist. And finally, according to scientists, at that time only da Vinci could depict a person with such stunning anatomical accuracy and detail. Just look closely at Gallerani's hand and see how carefully every nail and every wrinkle on her knuckles is painted.

Both studies confirmed that the background of the canvas was not painted over dark by da Vinci himself; around the figure of Cecilia, particles of grayish-blue paint were found under a layer of black. Polish scientists also found that the background originally featured a window or some other source of natural light. It is still unknown when and by whom exactly the background of the painting was painted over (according to some sources, Eugene Delacroix had a hand in this), since over the years of its existence it was repeatedly updated and restored. But some features of the overlay of paint layers suggest that the black background appeared between 1830 and 1870. The undoubtedly beautiful portrait began to look a bit like a flat poster, unlike other works by Leonardo, famous, among other things, for the stunning detail of the landscapes in the background.

On wooden base traces of the use of so-called “cardboard” were discovered - a drawing from which the image was transferred to wood using tiny holes and coal dust. The tree was covered with a thin layer of primer (gesso) and the underpainting was done brown paint. In addition, scientists determined that the tree was not trimmed after the painting was completed, as evidenced by narrow, unpainted stripes on all four sides.

Was there an ermine?

Numerous studies of the painting "Lady with an Ermine" have shown that da Vinci himself rewrote it at least three times. In the first version of the picture there was no ermine on Cecilia’s hands (here there was no blue cape on the girl’s shoulder, she was wearing only a red dress). In the next layer the artist added an animal, but it was smaller and gray. And already here doubts arise as to whether this is really an ermine, and not, for example, a ferret - a domestic ferret (they are predominantly colored different shades gray, and stoats wear reddish-brown fur in summer). In the end, the place in Gallerani's arms was taken by an animal. white, and the painting began to appear everywhere as “Lady with an Ermine,” even when the name of the heroine of the painting was still in question for researchers.

And although scientists still agree on the identity of the woman depicted in this portrait, the species identity of the animal is still called into question. The reddish tint of its eyes again suggests that it is an albino ferret. The fact is that in the Middle Ages and during the period Early Renaissance Ferrets were domesticated to hunt wild rabbits and, in some places, rats and mice. Stoats are less amenable to taming; moreover, their fate at that time was often much sadder: the snow-white winter skins of animals were used to decorate the robes of noble people.

There is another, much less pleasant version: the animal that Cecilia is holding is actually a "flea fur", a stuffed ermine that was used to catch pesky insects. Similar accessories came into fashion in late Middle Ages and ranged from fur boas to fabulously expensive stuffed animals with gilded legs and heads. However, a vegetarian and animal lover, da Vinci would hardly have depicted such an example of taxidermy art.

The Secret Life of Cecilia

Several centuries of the existence of the “Lady with an Ermine” are shrouded in mystery. Around 1491, the painting left da Vinci's studio and was kept by Gallerani for several years. In the spring of 1498, Isabella d'Este asks Cecilia to send her da Vinci's work: “Remembering that Leonardo painted your portrait, we ask you to be so kind as to send us your portrait with this messenger.”. Gallerani, although she admitted in a response letter that she had changed a lot since then, still could not refuse the high-ranking petitioner. One can imagine how disastrous this journey turned out to be for the painting, because hardly anyone took care of its safety. According to researchers from Washington, da Vinci's masterpiece most likely made the approximately 150-kilometer journey while wrapped in fabric and leather and strapped to a messenger's saddle. Presumably, a month later the painting returned to its owner, but this ended his trace for three centuries.

It's hard to imagine what fate was famous portrait, and how many movements and “corrections” it went through until it was acquired in Italy in 1800 Polish prince Adam Jerzy Czartoryski. In all likelihood, soon after the painting arrived in Poland Once again restored. Then the inscription “LA BELE FERONIERE. LEONARD DAWINCI" (Czartoryski believed that the portrait depicts the same woman as in the painting "La Belle Ferroniere", although some researchers believe that it is actually Lucrezia Crivelli). During the 19th century, “The Lady with an Ermine” moved around Europe several times: Princess Czartoryska managed to save the painting before the invasion Russian army in 1830, then she was sent to Dresden, and then to Paris, to the famous Hotel Lambert mansion, where the Czartoryskis lived.

Cecilia Gallerani returned to Krakow in 1882, but her misadventures did not end there. Almost immediately after the German occupation of Poland in 1939, the work fell into the hands of the Nazis and was transported to Berlin. A year later, the Governor-General of Poland, Hans Frank, became the owner of the Lady with an Ermine. At the end of World War II, the painting was discovered in his abandoned summer residence in Bavaria and returned to Poland. Now the painting “Lady with an Ermine” is in Krakow in the Czartoryski Museum.

It is curious that the authorship attributed to Leonardo da Vinci "Ladies with Ermine" For a long time, it was questioned, as was the identity of the girl depicted in this painting. Disputes regarding this still flare up periodically, when the technical means of the digital era make it possible to examine the picture from a new angle.

For now, it is worth dwelling on the fact that the portrait depicts Cecilia (Cecilia) Gallerani, mistress of the Duke of Milan Ludovico Sforza, mother of his son Cesare. The artist made sure that as few details as possible distract the viewer from the young and fresh beauty of the model. Da Vinci depicted her in a simple dress, and left only a string of black pearls on the girl for jewelry. Even Cecilia's smoothly combed hair seems to serve precisely this purpose (this hairstyle - with a braid and tightly covering the face strands of hair - was introduced into fashion by Isabella of Aragon and was called coazone). The half-turned image of the model was Leonardo's innovation; before that, portraits were mostly chased profiles. And even with this unusual pose, the artist managed to emphasize the liveliness of the character of the young model, who seemed to be listening to an invisible interlocutor.

Milanese muse

Cecilia Gallerani was born in 1473 into a large family that could boast neither wealth nor nobility. The girl had six brothers, along with whom she studied languages, she spoke Latin fluently, sang and played musical instruments, and wrote poetry. Her education and talent, combined with her pretty appearance, attracted the attention of Lodovico Sforza, nicknamed Il Moro, in whose service Gallerani's father was. It was probably the Duke of Milan who caused the break in Cecilia’s engagement to a certain Giovanni Stefano Visconti, to whom she was promised as a wife at the age of 10.

During the marriage, Cecilia gave birth to four more children and became a very popular figure in Milan thanks to the fact that she opened one of the first literary salons in Europe. Marriage did not in any way affect the woman’s hobbies; she not only continued to write herself, but also began to gather philosophers, theologians and poets in her house, who called her their muse. Cecilia also appeared at the Sforza court, especially often after the death of Lodovico’s wife in 1497. The Duke's former lover, along with his new mistress Lucrezia Crivelli, supported and looked after Il Moro after the loss. Cecilia died at the age of 63, outliving both Ludovico Sforza and Leonardo da Vinci, who glorified her throughout the centuries.

Author, author!

The painting “Lady with an Ermine” underwent two very detailed laboratory studies, designed, in particular, to confirm the authorship of Leonardo da Vinci. The results of the first, conducted by Warsaw scientists, were published in 1955. The second study, along with restoration, was carried out in 1992 in the laboratories of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, under the leadership of art conservation specialist David Bull. The scientist was stunned by Leonardo's skill; he later said that upon careful study of the painting, it seems that the artist began painting his model from a skeleton, adding flesh and clothing only after he understood the mechanics of her body.

On the wooden base there were traces of the use of so-called “cardboard” - a drawing from which the image was transferred to the wood using tiny holes and coal dust. The wood was covered with a thin layer of primer (gesso), and the underpainting was done with brown paint. In addition, scientists determined that the tree was not trimmed after the painting was completed, as evidenced by narrow, unpainted stripes on all four sides.

Was there an ermine?

Numerous studies of the painting "Lady with an Ermine" have shown that da Vinci himself rewrote it at least three times. In the first version of the picture there was no ermine on Cecilia’s hands (here there was no blue cape on the girl’s shoulder, she was wearing only a red dress). In the next layer the artist added an animal, but it was smaller and gray in color. And already here doubts arise as to whether this is really an ermine, and not, for example, a ferret - a domestic ferret (they are predominantly colored in different shades of gray, and ermines wear reddish-brown fur in the summer). In the end, a white animal took the place on Gallerani’s hands, and the painting began to appear everywhere as “Lady with an Ermine,” even when the name of the heroine of the canvas was still in question for researchers.

And although scientists still agree on the identity of the woman depicted in this portrait, the species identity of the animal is still called into question. The reddish tint of its eyes again suggests that it is an albino ferret. The fact is that in the Middle Ages and during the Early Renaissance, ferrets were tamed to hunt wild rabbits, and in some places, rats and mice. Stoats are less amenable to taming; moreover, their fate at that time was often much sadder: the snow-white winter skins of animals were used to decorate the robes of noble people.

There is another, much less pleasant version: the animal that Cecilia is holding is actually a "flea fur", a stuffed ermine that was used to catch pesky insects. Such accessories came into fashion in the late Middle Ages and ranged from fur boas to fabulously expensive stuffed animals with gilded legs and heads. However, a vegetarian and animal lover, da Vinci would hardly have depicted such an example of taxidermy art.

The Secret Life of Cecilia

It is difficult to imagine what the fate of the famous portrait was, and how many movements and “corrections” it went through until the moment when in 1800 it was acquired in Italy by the Polish prince Adam Jerzy Czartoryski. In all likelihood, soon after arriving in Poland the painting was restored once again. Then the inscription “LA BELE FERONIERE. LEONARD DAWINCI" (Czartoryski believed that the portrait depicts the same woman as in the painting "La Belle Ferroniere", although some researchers believe that it is actually Lucrezia Crivelli). During the 19th century, “The Lady with an Ermine” moved around Europe several times: Princess Czartoryska managed to save the painting before the invasion of the Russian army in 1830, then it was sent to Dresden, and then to Paris, to the famous mansion “Hotel Lambert”, where The Czartoryskis lived.

Portrait "Lady with an Ermine" is one of the four paintings that the great one dedicated to the beautiful half of humanity. The date of creation is considered to be 1490. The uniqueness of the masterpiece lies in the peculiarities of writing - oil paints on a wooden base. No one had used this technique in Italy before.

It is assumed that the painter here depicted the mistress of a noble nobleman, the Duke of Milan, Lodovico Sforza. This is Cecillia Galleroni, a girl of humble origin, but thanks to her connection with Sforza, she was successfully married to Count Bergamino... The Duke of Milan caught the eye of her, thanks to her beauty and education, unusual for simple origin. The consequences of the affair were the common son Cesare. The relationship lasted only 4 years. In the portrait “Lady with an Ermine,” Cecilia was painted at a young age, 17-18 years old, apparently at the time when she first met Sforza. This is evidenced by many symbolic objects depicted on the canvas.

The angle of the picture looks unusual - the girl is not looking straight ahead, at the viewer, but as if to the left. Her body and head are positioned half-turned. By the way, the discovery of this manner of depiction belongs to Da Vinci himself.

The girl depicted is dressed in the fashion of those years - her hair is parted in the middle, smoothly braided and pulled into an intricate hairstyle, wrapping around the contour of her face. A headband is worn over the hair. This hairstyle (hair not covered with a headdress) was characteristic only of unmarried women. The church obliged married people to hide their hair under veils. The only jewelry is multi-tiered beads, emphasizing Cecillia’s beautiful long neck. She is wearing a dress of blue tones; the contrasting bright fabric of the lower dress is visible from the slits of the wide embroidered sleeves. The look is conveyed very expressively, the brown eyes of the young woman are constantly watching someone. A serious, concentrated expression froze on his face.

Beauty, grace and elegance are emphasized by the animal sitting in the girl’s arms. His gaze is also directed to the same place where his mistress is looking. The animal depicted in the picture is usually called an ermine. But in fact, this is an ordinary ferret, even an albino (due to the white color and reddish tint of the eyes). Ferrets lived in houses to exterminate mice and rats, of which there were a great many at that time. Of course, this sounds strange to contemporaries - after all, we are accustomed to consider cats as pets, rodent hunters. But at that time, cats were considered exotic and vicious animals from the point of view of the church - accomplices of the Devil and Satan. But now we consider ferrets and martens to be exotic. In general, it’s amazing how they could keep these animals as domestic helpers; they are not trainable, they bite and love freedom. But in the picture the ermine gives secret meaning, Cecillia's surname - Galleroni and ermine are formed from one word.

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

(Dialogue of the Poet and Nature)

– 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

Leonardo da Vinci, so-called "Bella principessa": supposedly depicts Bianca Sforza, illegitimate daughter Lodovico Sforza from another mistress, Bernardina de Corradis. OK. 1496 (?). The girl is dressed in the same fashion, with a ferroniere and a dress with slit sleeves

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 girl’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 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 right hand also changed, and they look less natural than 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 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.

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.

“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. Signora Cecilia's hand, youthful in its proportions and thinness, 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 the sake of 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."

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 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 picture can be traced from 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. 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 forms the subject 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

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

The Moscow October morning began quite ordinary. It was drizzling wet snow. The cars moved slowly. The ice shimmered. The Muscovites shivered and hurried about their business.
At one of the stations, a group of excited people met the train. Exactly at the scheduled time, the express smoothly approached the platform. From the international carriage, strictly according to protocol, accompanied by honorary officials, a young lady stepped onto our soil.
She arrived in Moscow for the first time... But they were waiting for her, preparing for the meeting for a long time and carefully. With great care, she was escorted to a special limousine, and an honorary escort accompanied her car all the way to the residence. The capital greeted the noble stranger with a green wave of traffic lights.

Exactly at the appointed hour, the lady entered the stately house with a colonnade. She slowly walked up the large marble main staircase. The soft folds of the simara cape fitted slim figure young beauty. She entered a huge bright hall where the celebration of the meeting was to take place. I stopped. She bowed affably and straightened her strict hairstyle.

Noble grace distinguished her posture. Her delicate, almost girlish features were unusually lively. Natural grace and upbringing imparted to her movements a kind of enchanting softness and smoothness. The gaze of her eyes, almond-shaped and covered with heavy eyelashes, was gentle and benevolent. She was beautiful. But not that bright, catchy beauty that is forgotten as instantly as it attracts attention.

The fate of the young stranger is fabulous.
Five centuries ago, the Duke of Moreau fell in love with a young beauty, who, by the way, had an extraordinary gift as a poetess and even bore the title of “modern Sappho.” And this romance was quite long, if we take into account the usual transience of such hobbies.
Further on her way she met an artist-magician, she visited his studio, as a result of these meetings she seemed to be born again to live forever. And here her second, more significant and very long-term fate began.

Dozens of the most powerful, rich and noble people in Europe dreamed of owning it. There is no number for all the tricks, intricacies and intrigues that accompanied her life.
True, she soon got used to not noticing the admiring, greedy gaze of her fans. She knew the value of every viewer and perfectly distinguished the enthusiasm of a true connoisseur of beauty from the selfish sighs of patrons. She felt stuffy in the luxurious interiors of the nobles' chambers. She wanted to be closer to people, to see the world.

Finally, fate brought her to a country where she met kind and generous people.

But evil fate again changed the course of her life. The Nazis took her away by force and threw her into prison. It seemed that her death was inevitable. However, the barbarians were defeated and she was rescued. She was lucky enough to see the end of the leaders who dreamed of enslaving the world and destroying beauty.

And finally, magical fate returned her to the people and people. She returned to the city she loved, to her second home, and became quite happy. After all, every day hundreds, thousands of people came to her, simple, nice, open, and she joyfully gave them her beauty.

And today another new, beautiful page has been added to its chronicle. legendary life. She visited the capital of friends who helped her rescue and liberation with their military exploits.

She's in Moscow!
The young woman slowly and slowly approached the dark crimson velvet drapery that framed the front gate. Another moment - and, looking around those gathered, she bowed affably to the people with a slight smile. Then she gracefully straightened the folds of her dress and, caressing the snoozing little white animal, she entered the golden frame covered with exquisite ornaments and instantly became... a painting!

Yes, a painting, the world-famous masterpiece “Lady with an Ermine” from the collection National Museum in Krakow (Czartoryski collection). This painting is for the exhibition “Portrait in European painting» was kindly provided to us by our Polish friends.

"Lady with an Ermine"
The pearl of the exhibition at the Moscow Museum of Fine Arts.
Who is this young lady?
This is the immortal seventeen-year-old Cecilia Gallerani, born to the great Leonardo da Vinci almost five centuries ago in glorious city Milan.
It was her portrait that was bought and resold by noble collectors. It was he who was kidnapped from the Krakow collection by Hitler’s barbarians in the now infamous “Operation Linz” and stolen to create the “Fuhrer Museum.” But in the camp of the bandits, morals were appropriate, and the Gauleiter of Poland G. Frank stole the masterpiece and hid it in the recesses of his estate in Bavaria.
It was Cecilia Gallerani who acted as a “mute” witness in the trial of fascist criminals in Nuremberg.
It was she who, finally free and happy, returned to Krakow, to the branch of the Polish National Museum.

Young Gallerani. Daughter of the 15th century. Crafty enchantress. Favorite of the Milanese court. Tender and wise, bashful and frivolous, she appears before us. Simple and complex. Mysteriously attractive, with an almost static face, she still possesses the magnetism of extraordinary, hidden movement. But what gives the young lady’s appearance this magical liveliness?

Smile.
She barely touched the corners of her chaste lips. It lurked in the slightly swollen girlish dimples around the mouth and, like lightning, flashed in response in the dark, dilated pupils covered by rounded, onion-shaped eyelids.

...How the morning dawn imparts to nature a special thrill of life, igniting warm, trembling colors in the sky, in drops of dew, in frozen waters river, and the smile of young Cecilia gives magical mobility to her entire appearance.

Pico della Mirandola, in his manuscript On the Dignity of Man, wrote:
“I created you as a being not heavenly, but not only earthly, not mortal, but not immortal, so that you, free from constraint, would become your own creator and finally forge your own image. You have been given the opportunity to fall to the level of an animal, but also the opportunity to rise to the level of a god-like being - solely thanks to your inner will... Oh, the wondrous and sublime purpose of a person who is given the opportunity to achieve what he strives for and be what he wants... »

These words perfectly reflect the very spirit of the Renaissance.
Cecilia Gallerani.
By the wave of the magician Leonardo, she, like a small planet, reflected the radiance of the cruel and cheerful, ugly and beautiful, unique 15th century..... A movement completely opposite to the spirit of the Middle Ages began to declare its existence in all areas of human activity. The desire to renounce the past at any cost was revealed: they wanted to breathe in freedom, to live.”

Take a closer look at the subtle, spiritual features of the “Lady with an Ermine”, at her dignified posture, at her strict but elegant clothes, and the Renaissance with its magnificent creations will instantly appear before you brilliant masters arts and the monstrous and bloody deeds of rulers who, with incomprehensible ease, combined the roles of patrons and murderers.

In a word, at some point Milan, the court of Lodovico Moro, this whole kaleidoscope of passions will appear before you in all its sometimes grotesque grandeur... This “unique”, in the words of Stendhal, 15th century

Cecilia's thin, sleek hand gently strokes the silky fur of an ermine - one of the heraldic symbols of power of the Sforza Dukes. The little animal responds to affection. You hear the rustling and crackling of precious fabric under the claws of the “gale” - ermine. By the way, note that "gale" forms the root of the name Gallerani.

Metaphor... This is one of the main signs of Leonardo’s portraits. The heraldic symbol of the Moreau family, the name of his lovely beloved and living animal is an ermine. This combination of the most seemingly incompatible terms results in one Leonardo da Vinci well-known formula. He poses a riddle to the viewer, forces him to think, explore, and invent a multi-valued image.

Metaphor... It is also in the plastic parallels of the portrait. Look at the graceful turn of the animal’s head, its pretty, sharp-eyed muzzle and look at the charming owner of the “gale”.
Note the claws of the ermine's outstretched paw and the movement of Cecilia's hand. There is something similar to the cautious, cat-like, perhaps not very kind, affection of these touches. Isn’t there suddenly a thought, perhaps blasphemous, about an involuntary, or perhaps not involuntary, similarity between a young woman and a small predator?

Complex, complex, unique 15th century..
Leonardo loved people and strived to see the world as beautiful. Read these words addressed to the artists:
“Pay attention on the streets, in the evening, to the faces of men and women. What charm and tenderness is visible in them.”

Five centuries have passed since thirty-year-old Leonardo painted the portrait of Cecilia, but today, more than ever, millions of viewers see in this masterpiece the undying poetic power of the eternal youth of art.

You still don’t know where you can watch Charmed season 1 without registering? In this case, contact the specialized resource, which is presented at http://www.charmedtv.ru