Cecilia Gallerani, an educated young woman at court and Ludovico Sforza’s mistress, sits for Leonardo around 1490. Her identification as the Lady with an Ermine is firmly established. Years before the Mona Lisa, Leonardo already makes a woman seem caught in the middle of a gesture and an unseen conversation.
The whole story stays in view; this chapter’s people are highlighted. Atlas controls are in Spanish.
People in this chapter
Leonardo da Vinci
Painter, engineer and investigator of nature who worked in Florence, Milan, Rome and France. His service to the Sforza, Cesare Borgia, the Medici and Francis I connects his artistic work with the courts and political networks of his time.
English profile ↗Full profile and sources in Spanish ↗Ludovico Sforza
A translation of this profile is not yet available.
Full profile and sources in Spanish ↗Cecilia Gallerani
A translation of this profile is not yet available.
Full profile and sources in Spanish ↗Sources and coverage
Coverage is selective. Source titles remain in their original language; the Spanish records retain the detailed documentary notes.
Sources and methodology