Leonardo’s ‘Lady with an Ermine’ visits Madrid

Leonardo da Vinci
Lady with an Ermine
1489-1490
Oil on wood panel, 54 cm × 39 cm (21 in × 15 in)
Czartoryski Museum, Kraków

Leonardo’s ‘Lady with an Ermine’ visits Madrid Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Lady with an Ermine’ is the undisputed star of the exhibition ‘Poland, Treasures and Artistic Exhibitions’, in Madrid’s Royal Palace from June 3rd to September 4th, 2011.]]>

June 3rd, 2011 – Source: theartwolf.com

‘Lady with an Ermine’ comes from the collection of the Czartoryski Museum in Kraków, Poland, where it is exhibited since the work was acquired in Italy by Prince Adam Jerzy Czartoryski. This beautiful and enigmatic work is arguably the most important painting in Poland, where it is considered a national treasure.

Along with the “Gioconda” (Louvre) and the “Portrait of Ginevra Benci” (National Gallery of Washington), the “Lady with an Ermine” is the only female portrait unanimously attributed to Leonardo (the “La Belle Ferronnière” of the Louvre is generally accepted as a Leonardo, but not unanimously). The work shows a half-length figure who holds a small white animal, described in the painting’s title as an ermine.

But the Leonardo is not the only interesting work of the exhibition. ‘Poland, Treasures and Artistic Exhibitions’ includes paintings by Rembrandt and Lucas Cranach, as well as tapestries and armours.

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Leonardo da Vinci – life and works – a complete catalogue at theartwolf.com