THE LADY WITH AN ERMINE

The work we will examine today will be Leonardo da Vinci's painting 'Woman with an Ermine'.


Work; It dates back to between 1489 and 1490 and is one of Da Vinci's four portraits of women. It was painted in oil on panel and is currently exhibited in the Czartoryski Museum in Krakow, Poland. Although not as famous as Mona Lisa, the person in the work that is often compared to it is Cecilia Gallerani. Cecilia's father was a man who worked under the command of Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan. In this way Ceilia must have met Ludovico Sfroza.
Sforza clearly has an obsession with Cecilia. Because he loved Cecilia, who did not come from a noble family, and wanted her to be his mistress. When Cecilia was about to get engaged, she broke off the engagement and went to Sforza and gave birth to a child for the Duke of Milan. He has a good education and is very interested in poetry. I think with these features he managed to attract the attention of Sforza, who is a patron of art. However, Sforza did not marry her and preferred to marry a noblewoman. Leonardo probably painted this work at Sforza's request. At that time, Cecilia was around 16 years old. He is holding an ermine in his hand and looking to the left with a slight smile. It is a 'contrapposto' style portrait in which we see three-quarters of the figure's body.

His body is turned to the left from our perspective, and his head is turned to the right. We can clearly see the right side of Cecilia's face. It looks as if the figure is moving. This is a situation we often encounter in Leonardo's paintings. In his paintings, we usually see a 'moment' of figures that seem quite alive. This increases the reality of the scene and the figures. Cecilia looks as if she is looking at someone coming towards her from the left, or as if she sees something that interests her there.
It's like he just turned his head. Cecilia's hair is in the "coazone" model. In other words, the hair was divided into two and brought together under the chin, and a long braid was made at the back. There is a scarf on his head fixed with yellow and black bands. The beaded black necklace we see around her neck creates a contrast with Cecilia's snow-white skin and also gives the figure an aesthetic appearance.

One of the most important details in the picture is definitely the ermine, or also known as the ermine, on Cecilia's lap... During these periods, stoats were kept as pets. But of course not by everyone, only by the nobles.


That's why this animal was also used as a symbol of nobility. In fact, some features of ermines made them loved by the nobles. For example, an ermine does not go into muddy and dirty holes at the risk of dying while running away from a predator or something else. That's why ermines; They have become symbols of nobility, cleanliness and purity. However, unfortunately, they are very valuable not only when they are alive but also when they are dead. Noble women of the period also loved ermine fur. Additionally, Ludovico Sforza is a member of a knight order called "Order of the Ermine".
Finally, ermines are symbols of birth and pregnancy. Therefore, it is thought that the ermine that Cecilia was holding tenderly in her arms as if holding a baby at the time the painting was painted symbolized the baby or pregnancy. One of the most important technical features of the work is the Sfumato technique, which he also used in the Mona Lisa. With this application, which he uses to make sharp lines soft, he manages to capture a foggy and misty mystical atmosphere in the painting.

Additionally, the background of the painting was painted black during a restoration.

In the upper left corner of the work it is written "LA BELE FERONIERE LEONARDO DA VINCI". This article also caused a little confusion at the time.
The painting was thought to be a portrait of Lucrezia Crivelli, another mistress of Ludovico, but it was later understood that this painting was "LA BELLE FERRONIERE". Le Belle Ferroniere, 1490, Louvre Museum, Paris.


That's all I have to say, happy World Art Day, and happy birthday to Leonardo Da Vinci, who was born today. Thank you for reading, stay with art…