Order brooch with a portrait of Cecilia Gallerani portrait "Lady with ermine", painted by Leonardo da Vinci.

Order brooch with a portrait of Cecilia Gallerani, a favorite of the Duke of Milan Lodovico Sforza. Portrait "Lady with ermine", painted by Leonardo da Vinci.
The brooch is embroidered with beads, sequins, soft lace, beads, stones and crystals. The brooch uses gold fittings, velvet ribbon, the back of the brooch is decorated with suede.

The ermine held by the lady evokes symbolic and folklore associations. This animal is traditionally associated with purity and purity. In his "Bestia ria", Leonardo writes: Ermine, because of his restraint... he would rather be captured by hunters than hide in a dirty ditch so as not to tarnish his purity." This remark was not invented by Leonardo himself.
The symbol of purity gives the portrait an ironic meaning - it is completely opposite to the eroticism that permeates the picture. Ermine was also used by the artist for wordplay. In Greek, the weasel or ermine is called galé. But this is the surname of Cecilia Gallerani. A similar technique was used in the port of Ginevra, where Leonardo depicted juniper, diperto, Leonardo loved such a game - or knew that customers would like it.
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