1. Leonardo's Portraits
Much of this ppt was
borrowed and
condensed from
13arthistoryghm.pb
works.com/f/Leona
rdo+Portraits.ppt

2. Leonardo's Key
Innovations
• No more profile–
¾ view of face
• Inclusion of hands
• Revealed the
sitter’s personality
• Used Symbols in a
more subtle,
complex way than
previous
Renaissance
portrait artist

3. Patronage
 Leonardo was
commissioned by several
wealthy people to paint
their portraits. They were
called his “Patrons”
 Only wealthy people could
afford to be painted.
 Camera’s were not invented
therefore art was the only
way to record history
 Ludovico Il Moro, Duke of
Milan commissioned
Leonardo to paint 2
portraits for him: one for
his wife and one for his
girlfriend!!!

4. Which one was the Duke’s wife?
Which one was the Duke’s mistress?
La Belle
Ferroniere
(left)
The Lady with
the Ermine
(right)

5. La Belle Ferroniere 1490-96
The WIFE! Who was correct? Why did you
guess that?
Her pose and face tell us she is dignified.
Notice her decorative dress? She was
considered a fashionista of her era

6. Leonardo used “photoshop”
Portrait by another artist
Although there were NO computers in
the Renaissance , Leonardo
IDEALISED portraits.
This means he made people more
beautiful in there paintings than they
were in real life.
She made her head more oval and
used golden proportions in her face

7. The Lady with the Ermine
• 1. Conveys a sense of mystery
and the uniqueness of the
human personality. A gentle
smile plays on the corners of
her mouth, sparkle in her eyes.
(Like the Mona Lisa!)
• 2. Pose is innovative [again!].
• 3. Use of Sfumato – veils of
soft glazes, gradual blending of
tones that create a “smoky”
effect

8. Who was she?
• Member of the noble Gallerani family.
• Became the Mistress of Duke of Milan at age 15.
• About 16-17 at time portrait painted
• Duke then married Beatrice Este, but kept visiting
Cecilia. He kept her in a castle, She kept this portrait.
• She later married in 1491.

9. What do her physical characteristics suggest about
her?
• Her figure is slender,– the action of
turning suggest her agility and
physical energy
• fingers long and delicate –
gracefulness
• The light in her eyes – an active and
alert mind
• Glow in her cheeks – warmth, beauty
of spirit
• Her neatly groomed hairstyle –
fashionable, yet simple. Modest.

10. The meaning of the Ermine
. She is the mistress of Il Moro
- the ermine was his symbol, featured on his
Coat of Arms.
2. As his mistress, she is like his pet.
3. In Greek, ermine is “galen” – a
pun on her surname Gallerani
1. The ermine symbolises her virtue.
In Medieval bestiaries the animal was described as the ‘essence of
purity and moderation’. “it would rather die than soil itself and is
so moderate it only eats once a day”. These qualities are
attached to Cecilia.
1. The ermine is her mirror. It moves lithely and has bright eyes,
alert neck - echoed in Cecilia’s movement and alert glance.
6. The ermine was a talisman for childbirth. Some say she may
have been in the early stages of pregnancy while this was
painted