Leonardo Da Vinci, The Lady with an Ermine (fresco)

Description

The identity of the woman portrayed by Leonardo must certainly be traced back to Cecilia Gallerani, the beautiful and young lover of the Duke of Milan Ludovico il Moro. When he was commissioned to paint the portrait, Leonardo decided to represent the woman with an ermine, perhaps because the name of this animal, translating into Greek as "galé", referred exactly to the surname of the young woman. The ermine was also the animal that symbolized chastity and purity and for this reason it was frequently represented in the arms of noble maidens.