Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index

Title: Woman with Ermine
Creator: Leonardo da Vinci, humanist
Description: A young woman, possibly Cecilia Gallerani, the mistress of Duke Ludovico Sforza, sits in three-quarter profile and wears a costly low-cut red and blue mi-parti dress. She gazes out not at the viewer, but to the side as if something has caught her attention. This detail imparts a sense of personality and intellect to the viewer while tempering the voyeurism inherent in earlier portraits of women rendered in profile. The white ermine in her arms was understood as a symbol of purity, as it was thought that the ermine would kill itself before sullying its white coat.
Source: WikiMedia Commons
Rights: Public domain
Subject (See Also): Mistresses Portraits Sforza Family
Geographic Area: Italy
Century: 15
Date: ca. 1490
Related Work:
Current Location: Krakow, Czartoryski Museum
Original Location:
Artistic Type (Category): Digital images; Paintings
Artistic Type (Material/Technique): Panel paintings; Tempera; Oil
Donor:
Height/Width/Length(cm): 54.8cm/40.3cm/
Inscription:
Related Resources: