7/30/2019 Renaissance Love

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Leonardo da Vinci and his paintings

Renaissance love

This article isnt about Gioconda or The

Last Supper. Its true that the titles are the most

common ones that anyone can mention if they areasked. How many of you heard about The Lady

with Ermine? While I was extending my general

knowledge on wikipedia I saw this title that actuallykept my attention. After some hours of

documentation I found out some interesting

information and I am going to point the nuts andbolts in order to get your attention.

Da Vinci painted only four female portraits

during his life (and this one, according to my wayof thinking is the most beautiful). At the moment,

its exposed in Cracovia, Poland. Obviously, I couldtalk about the art technique but isnt a pleasure

(even for me). The only reason I brought this artsubject is because the woman in the portrait had a

different life, worthy of fairy tales.

She was born in 1473; a period when women couldnt impose too much their ownintelligence on political thoughts. At age of 10 she was known for her poetry and for

scholarship; but, to avoid moving to a monastery because of her parents, she married

Stefano Viscontini, a nobleman. In 1487 they split for unknown reason. For Cecilia, thiswas the life escape she was looking for. At age of 15 she met Ludovico Sfortza, the Duke

of Milan and she became his secret lover, his mistress. The portrait represents Cecilia at

this age: a beautiful and intelligent woman.Also, her beauty threatened to cause political upheaval. The Duke was betrothed

for a long time with Duke of Ferraras daughter, a marriage which would unite two of the

most important families in Renaissance. Ludovico described his mistress as being as

beautiful as a flower, while Ferraras daughter mentioned her as a pleasing little thing.The most interesting part of the portrait that got my attention was the ermine. It

might symbolize Sfortzas family blazon but it also carry some hidden actions. The

ermine appeared in art as an emblem of pregnancy and childbirth. The fact is true, sinceCecilia gave birth to Ludovicos son in 1490. The end of their love affair its not a good

will overcome evil- one. She moved out of Ludovicos castle when he got married, but

she met a nobleman from Cremona, a village near Milan. She had 5 children and died at

age of 63. We can say that she was happyin the end of the story.Her life its an example for us. Who said back then that love didnt exist?