What the ermine saw : the extraordinary journey of Leonardo da Vinci's most mysterious portrait

The remarkable true story behind one of history’s most enigmatic portraits—"a glorious picaresque of unbridled passions and unmitigated scoundrels, a glorious romp through the great palaces and palazzos of Europe" (Amanda Foreman, New York Times best-selling author of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire ) Five hundred and thirty years ago, a young woman sat before a Grecian-nosed artist known as Leonardo da Vinci. Her name was Cecilia Gallerani, and she was the young mistress of Ludovico Sforza, duke of Milan. Sforza was a brutal and clever man who was mindful that Leonardo’s genius would not only capture Cecilia’s beguiling beauty but also reflect the grandeur of his title. But when the portrait was finished, Leonardo’s brush strokes had conveyed something deeper by revealing the essence of Cecilia’s soul. Even today, The Woman with an Ermine manages to astonish. Despite the work's importance in its own time, no records of it have been found for the two hundred and fifty years that followed Gallerani’s death. Readers of The Hare with the Amber Eyes will marvel at Eden Collinsworth’s dexterous story of illuminates the eventual history of this unique masterpiece, as it journeyed from one owner to the next–from the portrait’s next recorded owner, a Polish noblewoman, who counted Benjamin Franklin as an admirer, to its exile in Paris during the Polish Soviet War, to its return to WWII-era Poland where—in advance of Germany’s invasion—it remained hidden behind a bricked-up wall by a housekeeper who defied Hitler’s edict that it be confiscated as one of the Reich’s treasures. Fans of Anne-Marie O’Connor’s The Lady in Gold will treasure the story of this criss-crossing journey and the enigmatic woman at its heart. What the Ermine Saw is a fact-based story that cheats fiction and a reminder that genius, power, and beauty always have a price. ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09986XCTB Publisher ‏ : ‎ Doubleday (May 24, 2022) Print length ‏ : ‎ 266 pages Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0385546114 "In the tradition of The Lady in Gold and The Hare with the Amber Eyes, the remarkable story behind one of history's most enigmatic portraits. Five hundred and thirty years ago, a young woman sat for her portrait, which was to be painted by a tall, Grecian-nosed artist known as Leonardo da Vinci. Her name was Cecilia Gallerani, and she was the teenage mistress of the Duke of Milan. With shining hair and alabaster skin, and a thin veil framing her delicate features, Gallerani held a white ermine--an emblem of pregnancy and childbirth--close to her breast. Their slender bodies appeared almost as one. Her lover, Ludovico Sforza, was a ruthless man who was betrothed to the daughter of a powerful family; he was aware that da Vinci's brilliance as a painter would not only capture his mistress's beauty, but reflect Sforza's own political prowess. Indeed, with this beguiling image, da Vinci revolutionized the genre, changing not just what a portrait looked like, but also its purpose. While the painting faithfully captures the young woman's likeness, it also bears something deeper: the essence of a "soul," one conveyed with brush strokes and more effectively than with words used by any writer. But despite the work's importance in its own time, no records of it exist during the two hundred and fifty years that followed Gallerani's death. Author Eden Collinsworth illuminates the startling history of this unique masterpiece, as it journeyed for over five centuries from one owner to the next--from the cunning Milanese duke, likely to have murdered his seven-year-old nephew for the title, to an unconventional Polish noblewoman, who counted as acquaintances Benjamin Franklin and Voltaire. From Hitler, who designated it for his private collection, to Hans Frank, the Nazi high command in Poland, who hung it above his desk until it was returned after the War to the Czartoryski Museum in Kraków. Along the way, Collinsworth reveals a bewildering maze of social alliances and cultural upheavals, polarizing political divisions and territorial fragmentation. Expertly researched and deftly told, What the Ermine Saw is an enthralling account of Renaissance Italy and its actors; a comprehensive study of artistry and innovation; a riveting tale of Nazi plunder; of art lost and found; and a reminder that genius, power, and beauty always have a price" -- Provided by publisher The remarkable true story behind one of history’s most enigmatic portraits—"a glorious picaresque of unbridled passions and unmitigated scoundrels, a glorious romp through the great palaces and palazzos of Europe" (Amanda Foreman, best-selling author of )Five hundred and thirty years ago, a young woman sat before a Grecian-nosed artist known as Leonardo da Vinci. Her name was Cecilia Gallerani, and she was the young mistress of Ludovico Sforza, duke of Milan. Sforza was a brutal and clever man who was mindful that Leonardo’s genius would not only capture Cecilia’s beguiling beauty but also reflect the grandeur of his title. But when the portrait was finished, Leonardo’s brush strokes had conveyed something deeper by revealing the essence of Cecilia’s soul. Even today, The Woman with an Ermine manages to astonish.Despite the work's importance in its own time, no records of it have been found for the two hundred and fifty years that followed Gallerani’s death. Readers of The Hare with the Amber Eyes will marvel at Eden Collinsworth’s dexterous story of illuminates the eventual history of this unique masterpiece, as it journeyed from one owner to the next–from the portrait’s next recorded owner, a Polish noblewoman, who counted Benjamin Franklin as an admirer, to its exile in Paris during the Polish Soviet War, to its return to WWII-era Poland where—in advance of Germany’s invasion—it remained hidden behind a bricked-up wall by a housekeeper who defied Hitler’s edict that it be confiscated as one of the Reich’s treasures. Fans of Anne-Marie O’Connor’s The Lady in Gold will treasure the story of this criss-crossing journey and the enigmatic woman at its heart.__What the Ermine Saw__ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09986XCTBPublisher ‏ : ‎ Doubleday (May 24, 2022)Print length ‏ : ‎ 266 pagesPage numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0385546114 In the tradition of The Lady in Gold and The Hare with Amber Eyes , the remarkable history behind one of the world's most beloved paintings, Leonardo da Vinci's Lady with an Ermine. More than half a millennium ago, a young woman sat before a Grecian-nosed artist known as Leonardo da Vinci. Her name was Cecilia Gallerani, and she was the young mistress of Ludovico Sforza, duke of Milan. Her lover, a ruthless man, was aware that da Vinci's brilliance as a painter would not only capture his mistress's beauty but reflect his own political prowess. Indeed, with this beguiling painting--in which Gallerani holds a strange white ermine close to her breast--da Vinci revolutionized the genre, changing not just what a portrait looked like, but also its purpose. But despite the work's importance in its own time, no records of it have been found for the two hundred and fifty years it went missing. Author Eden Collinsworth illuminates the eventual history of this unique masterpiece, as it journeyed from one owner to the next--from the brutal Milanese duke to an unconventional noblewoman to Nazi high command, instructed by Hitler that it be added to his private collection. Along the way, it witnessed some of history's most immoral undertakings as well as some of its greatest advancements until it came to rest at the Czartoryski Musuem in Krakow, Poland where it is currently displayed. Expertly researched and deftly told, What the Ermine Saw is an enthralling account of Renaissance Italy and its actors, a comprehensive study of artistry and innovation, and a reminder that genius, power, and beauty always have a price.