One of the undisputed masterpieces of High Renaissance portraiture and one of only four surviving female portraits by Leonardo da Vinci. The subject is Cecilia Gallerani, the young and cultured mistress of Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan. The ermine held in her arms serves a triple symbolic purpose: representing purity and moderation, referencing Sforza's personal badge, and playing on Cecilia's surname (from the Greek galê). Leonardo’s revolutionary three-quarter pose, subtle handling of light, and delicate anatomical detail capture a vivid sense of grace, intellect, and psychological depth.