Speakasso › Paintings › Lady with an Ermine
Lady with an Ermine
Leonardo da Vinci, 1490
A portrait of Cecilia Gallerani, the young mistress of Duke Ludovico Sforza, painted at his court in Milan. She turns her head as if someone has just entered the room, and the white animal in her arms twists the same way. The ermine was Ludovico's personal emblem, and the Greek word for it, 'galê', echoes the sitter's surname, a pun Leonardo would have relished. The black background was added by a later hand. Prince Adam Czartoryski bought the panel in Italy, and it has lived an eventful life in Poland ever since.
What is in the painting
- Turned head. Her face looks off to the left, beyond the frame, while her body faces the other way.
- Long fingers. A slender hand rests on the creature's back, every knuckle described.
- Thin band. Smooth hair is bound under the chin with a ribbon, and a narrow fillet crosses the forehead.
Did you know? During the Second World War the Nazis seized the painting and it hung in the residence of Governor-General Hans Frank until it was found in Bavaria in 1945.
About the painting
- Artist
- Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519)
- Year
- 1490
- Style
- High Renaissance
- Medium
- Oil on walnut panel
- Size
- 54 × 39 cm
- Where to see it
- Czartoryski Museum (National Museum in Kraków), Kraków
How to describe it in Speakasso
In Speakasso you describe the painting in your own words and an AI draws it again. These words are forbidden in this round — each one costs 15 points:
A description that scores high
A young noblewoman, shown from the waist up, turns her head sharply to the side as if someone just walked in. She holds a sleek white weasel-like creature against her chest that twists the same way, her long slender fingers resting on its back. She wears a red-and-blue dress, a long string of dark beads and a thin band across her forehead. Solid dark backdrop, soft side light. Smooth, delicate old Italian portrait.
The tricky part: Call the pet a sleek white weasel-like creature held against her chest, and mention her long slender fingers resting on its back.
The method behind it: what is painted first, then where things are, then colour and light, then the style. Read the full guide
