CECILIA GALLERANI (1473–1536) WAS A
REMARKABLE WOMAN OF THE ITALIAN
RENAISSANCE, KNOWN NOT ONLY FOR HER
BEAUTY AND INTELLIGENCE BUT ALSO
FOR BEING LEONARDO DA VINCI’S MUSE
IN THE FAMOUS PAINTING LADY WITH AN
ERMINE. AS THE LOVER OF LUDOVICO
SFORZA, THE DUKE OF MILAN, CECILIA
STOOD OUT AS A POET, INTELLECTUAL,
AND INFLUENTIAL FIGURE IN THE
MILANESE COURT. HER PORTRAIT,
PAINTED BETWEEN 1489 AND 1491,
CAPTURES NOT JUST HER YOUTH AND
ELEGANCE, BUT ALSO THE CULTURAL
SENSITIVITY AND REFINEMENT OF A
WOMAN AHEAD OF HER TIME. TODAY, HER
IMAGE ENDURES AS AN ICON OF FEMALE
STRENGTH AND PRESENCE IN THE
HISTORY OF ART.