2020 IB Extended Essays

5

Analysis of “Lady with an Ermine” by Leonardo Da Vinci

Another renaissance piece stolen was the “Lady with an Ermine”, painted by Leonardo Da Vinci in 1489 and shown in Figure 2. The subject of the portrait is 16-year- old Cecilia Gallerani, the mistress of the Duke of Milan, Lodovico Sforza who was also nicknamed “The White Ermine” (Birnberg-Goldstein, 2012). Cecilia would become the mother to Duke’s children, however, they never married due to hierarchy issues. Laboratory analysis have shown that Da Vinci’s first version of the portrait did not include the ermine and the second version had Cecilia holding a small grey ermine. The

Figure 2: “Lady with an Ermine” by Leonardo Da Vinci 1489 (oil on panel, 54cm×39 cm)

third and final version has her holding a large white ermine, representing purity and the Duke’s subtle presence. In Da Vinci’s book, the Codex Leicester, he recorded notes and sketches of animals where he praised the ermine for its purity and advanced skills. The ermine in the painting represents both Cecilia’s purity and the Duke’s pride (Muñoz-Alonzo, 2014). The progression of the painting suggests that there was a growing desire for the lovers to display their romance in a more public manner. The ermine’s development in Da Vinci’s creative process from small and dark to large and white could indicate that the Duke wanted to be portrayed as more flattering in Cecilia’s arms.