Lady with an Ermine (Portrait of Cecilia Gallerani) (Italian: Dama con l'ermellino[ˈdaːma kon lermelˈliːno]; Polish: Dama z gronostajem) is a painting by Leonardo da Vinci. It was painted between 1489 and 1490. The subject of the portrait is Cecilia Gallerani, the mistress of Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan. She was pregnant at the time it was painted. Leonardo was in the service of the Duke at the time the portrait was painted. The ermine was a symbol of purity for Leonardo, but also meant to symbolise the Duke of Milan because his nickname was the white ermine. The painting was done in three stages - the first was a portrait just of Cecillia, the second he added a thin, small ermine and in the final stage, Leonardo made it look more powerful. Lady with an Ermine is displayed in the Czartoryski Museum, Kraków, Poland.
