Image from lairweb.org.nz
Image of a stoat in winter coat from wikipedia.org
Image of a stoat(hermine) from wikipedia.org While most people know, recognize and talk about Leonardo da Vinci's Monalisa , I'm in awe of a lesser known but equally interesting portrait known as the 'Lady with an Ermine'. Da Vinci painted this particular painting in 1489 -1490.
Although I'm in awe of da Vinci's work, his exceptional skill, expertise ,techniques and his life , I'm more in awe of the stories that this more than 500 year old picture can tell us.
I sometimes spend time thinking about how da Vinci would have felt when he was asked to paint Cecila, the Duke of Milan's misterss, was he excited, was he reluctant, was it important to him, could he have refused...
The potrait itself is an oxymoron, although the woman in the portrait is a mistress to the duke of Milan, she is portrayed as somebody chaste. How do we know that?
The 'ermine' with the white winter coat that she's carrying in her arms represents chastity and purity. According to the legends, the ermines would rather kill themselves or get killed if they got their fur dirty or soiled.
I wonder about Cecilia's reaction to the finished portrait, what did the duke think of his mistress's portrait, why was it important that Cecilia be portrayed as a chaste and virtuous woman? Was it important to the duke that the people of Milan saw her as he wanted them to see? Was it important to Cecilia? How could've the duke's wife reacted ...The mistress had a portrait , what did the wife have? Who was the duke's wife? If it weren't for da Vinci would Cecilia be of any consequence to us?
