The most valuable painting in Polish collections hides a secret. 300 years of the great unknown

Although she looks from the canvas with the grace of a young aristocrat, she was not a princess. She was not a wife either. Cecilia Gallerani , because she is the one hiding behind the famous portrait by Leonardo da Vinci , was the lover of Lodovico Sforza - the most powerful duke of Milan. When Leonardo portrayed her in 1490, Cecilia was only 17 years old and was carrying the child of a ruler who was about to marry someone else.

Her portrait – today one of the most valuable exhibits at the Czartoryski Museum in Krakow – continues to fascinate art historians and viewers from all over the world. Katarzyna Bik, author of the book "The Dearest. The Double Life of a Lady with an Ermine", devoted years to exploring its secrets. The result? A colourful story about a woman who gained almost immortality in the Renaissance realities.

Ermine, ferret or hybrid?

Although the title of the portrait seems unambiguous, the animal that Cecylia cradles in her arms raised doubts from the beginning.

- When Izabela Czartoryska received the painting from her son, she thought it was a very ugly dog ​​– laughs Bik in an interview with "Gazeta Krakowska"

There were also voices that it was a weasel , a symbol of purity and good childbirth, or a ferret – although this term could be offensive in Italian culture.

The most intriguing theory? The animal is a symbol of the prince – Lodovico was called “ermellino”, or ermine . In this way, Leonardo was supposed to encrypt not only the character of Cecilia, but also their relationship. What’s more, the girl’s name – Cecilia – is hidden in the Greek word “gale” , meaning the same mammal. Leonardo, as befits a Renaissance master, told the story of the two lovers without words – using gestures, glances and symbols.

The mysterious 300 years of silence

Although we know that the painting remained with Cecilia, after her death all trace of it disappeared for almost three centuries. It only appeared around 1800 , when Adam Jerzy Czartoryski brought it from Italy to his mother. The circumstances of the purchase remain unknown, and the background of the painting was already repainted and not original.

Izabela Czartoryska was initially not thrilled with the gift – she expected a garden panther rather than a Renaissance lover. However, when she discovered that it was possibly Leonardo’s work, and that the model was no ordinary person, the painting gained the status of a jewel in the collection. In 1809, it was transferred to the Gothic House in Puławy, and several decades later – to Kraków.

A painting that survived the war

The turbulent fate of the painting is inextricably intertwined with the history of Poland. Evacuated twice – during World War I and II – it became a tasty morsel for Nazi notables. Transported through Lower Silesia, displayed in the Jagiellonian Library , finally taken to Germany – it returned thanks to the heroic work of Karol Estreicher , the legendary seeker of lost works.

After the war, although without cameras and flashes, the "Lady" returned to Kraków – not without attempts to "take it over" by other institutions. In the years of the Polish People's Republic, it was supposed to go to Warsaw to support the planned "Polish Louvre". Even workers wrote petitions to keep the painting in the capital. To no avail – Leonardo's work returned to Wawel, where it is now viewed by over half a million people a year.

Art in a cage

Although she has traveled abroad over 50 times in the past, "The Lady" no longer travels abroad. Experts know that each such trip is a huge risk for the fragile work. Even its conservation is limited - it can only be viewed under UV light and a microscope . What is hidden under the repainted background? We will probably never know - removing the layer could destroy more than it reveals.

One thing is certain – the story of "The Lady with an Ermine" is more than a story about a painting. It is a story about a woman, love, art and survival. The mystery that still pulsates in Cecylia's eyes does not let itself be forgotten.