What the Ermine Saw: The Extraordinary Journey of Leonardo Da Vinci's Most Mysterious Portrait
- Downloads：1502
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-05-25 01:19:37
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Eden Collinsworth
- ISBN：0385546114
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
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。
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。
Reviews
Lynn
，
The novel opens with a brief history of da Vinc， started with the Master's apprenticeship with Verrocchio and it has been suggested that de Vinci was the model of Verrocciio's David。 The artist showed his brilliance thus he was enrolled into the painter's guild at the age of 21 years old showing his geninus And Painter received the commision of Lady of Ermine in 1490 and was considered to be a masterpiece。。Accepting the commission to paint a portrait of a young woman， Cecilla Gallerani and the a The novel opens with a brief history of da Vinc， started with the Master's apprenticeship with Verrocchio and it has been suggested that de Vinci was the model of Verrocciio's David。 The artist showed his brilliance thus he was enrolled into the painter's guild at the age of 21 years old showing his geninus And Painter received the commision of Lady of Ermine in 1490 and was considered to be a masterpiece。。Accepting the commission to paint a portrait of a young woman， Cecilla Gallerani and the artist was obiligated to create a flattering impression。 The young woman was described as having sublimed grace and guitless beauty。 Painter de Vinci's Lady With an Ermine could be considered a political allegory represented through Ludovico's cradling the ermine in her arms。 Lucvrezia， the woman was capable of burning holes with her intense stare。I enjoyed every word of this book and there was a lot more book that I could have focused on。 Thank you Eden Collinsworth， Penguin Random House， Doubleday， and NetGalley the privledge of reading a reviewing this boo， in return I wrote an honest review。 。。。more
Evelyn Hall
，
I love art！ It is one of the things that makes me the happiest a。 The Italian renaissance has always fascinated me so I was thrilled when I was approved for this arc。 One of only four portraits by DaVinci that features a woman this book takes through a time portal that allows us to see the various people， places and history that surrounded this masterpiece。I enjoyed this book immensely。 It is more than just the story of how the painting came to be in existence， it is the story of how it traveled I love art！ It is one of the things that makes me the happiest a。 The Italian renaissance has always fascinated me so I was thrilled when I was approved for this arc。 One of only four portraits by DaVinci that features a woman this book takes through a time portal that allows us to see the various people， places and history that surrounded this masterpiece。I enjoyed this book immensely。 It is more than just the story of how the painting came to be in existence， it is the story of how it traveled through time and it’s various owners。 From its creation in Milan， to Poland and through the World wars to its eventual home in a museum in Krakow， we learn the history of the world and it’s various owners。 I especially enjoyed the part about the Sforza family and the commission of the portrait。 This book ends up being somewhat of a travelogue through the history in which the painting traveled and it was fascinating。 I highly r commend this book for anyone with an interest in art or history。 。。。more
Anne Morgan
，
This was an interesting book based around my all time favorite painting。 It covers why it was made and the story surrounding Ludovico Sforza （da Vinci’s patron for the painting） and Cecilia （his mistress， the Lady） and what is known of their lives as well as da Vinci and how he painted， including the different editions of the painting that deem to have been done。 Then， the story gets bigger and before you quite know how it happens you are reading about Catherine the Great， Poland， and one of the This was an interesting book based around my all time favorite painting。 It covers why it was made and the story surrounding Ludovico Sforza （da Vinci’s patron for the painting） and Cecilia （his mistress， the Lady） and what is known of their lives as well as da Vinci and how he painted， including the different editions of the painting that deem to have been done。 Then， the story gets bigger and before you quite know how it happens you are reading about Catherine the Great， Poland， and one of the leading families trying to gain Polish independence。 World Wars， Nazis， Communists， and more， this painting has seen it all。I wish there had been more about the painting in terms of its place in art history- are there other paintings with ermine that this can be compared to or is it unique in that way as well as others？ What is it that keeps bringing us back to this small but powerful painting？ I was fascinated by the technical art history and learning about what museums have been able to see when they examine the painting and would have been interested to know more about that， maybe also comparing it with more of Leonardo’s work as well。 Instead Ermine exists in a vacuum against his other paintings， even when talking about the exhibit where the paintings were all brought together。 I thought all of the historical stories were interesting， though many seem to wander far before you figure out how they connect back to Lady with an Ermine。 It took awhile before I learned to just go with the flow and trust that the author would eventually show us why these histories were important to the painting。 Its a style that might not work for everyone， but if you love the painting， history， or both， I recommend giving this a try。 There are some fascinating gems along the trail。 I received an Arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review of this book 。。。more
Nancy
，
The teenager turns her head toward something we can’t see。 She is lovely but modestly dressed。 She holds a white ermine， almost cuddling an animal known to be fierce and aggressive。 Leonardo Da Vinci was commissioned to paint the portrait of Cecilia Gallerani， mistress of his patron the Duke of Milan。 There are only four portraits of women known to be by Da Vinci。 Like his Mona Lisa， he kept Lady with Ermine for years， changing it several times。 He added the ermine， changed its size and color。 I The teenager turns her head toward something we can’t see。 She is lovely but modestly dressed。 She holds a white ermine， almost cuddling an animal known to be fierce and aggressive。 Leonardo Da Vinci was commissioned to paint the portrait of Cecilia Gallerani， mistress of his patron the Duke of Milan。 There are only four portraits of women known to be by Da Vinci。 Like his Mona Lisa， he kept Lady with Ermine for years， changing it several times。 He added the ermine， changed its size and color。 It finally was hung in the Duke’s room…Until he married， when his wife sent the mistress， her child， and the painting out of the house。In What the Ermine Saw， Eden Collingsworth traces the history of the painting across time as it descended down through the family who took it to Poland。 The painting survived conflict and two world wars， narrowly escaping the bombing that destroyed Dresden （and provoked Kurt Vonnegut to write Slaughterhouse Five）。 It hung in a private museum and in the home of the Nazi who systemically eradicated Polish culture， burning books and murdering thousands and sending millions to concentration camps。I was totally immersed in this book， the tumultuous history fascinating。 I had never considered how wondrous that works of cherished works of Western art survived at all。I received a free egalley from the publisher through NetGalley。 My review is fair and unbiased。 。。。more
Geoff
，
Engaging pop history that tells a good story of European history though the lens of a painting by Leonardo da Vinci。 The most interesting sections for me were detailing the political and cultural landscape of Italy when the painting as commissioned; a discussion of what the different portrait features （and the mere existence） of a painting of a young mistress to a due meant; and a look at the the aristocratic Polish family who ended up buying the painting and their struggle to hold on to the pai Engaging pop history that tells a good story of European history though the lens of a painting by Leonardo da Vinci。 The most interesting sections for me were detailing the political and cultural landscape of Italy when the painting as commissioned; a discussion of what the different portrait features （and the mere existence） of a painting of a young mistress to a due meant; and a look at the the aristocratic Polish family who ended up buying the painting and their struggle to hold on to the paining （and the existence of their country！） in the era of Catherine the Great and Paul I's imperialistic rules in Russia。 Not the deepest or most nuanced narrative at times， but it's a gripping， interesting story about how genius and art can reverberate down the centuries。**Thanks to the author， publisher， and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Hannah
，
In following the painting "Lady with an Ermine" across time and space， the author weaves a compelling narrative about the enduring genius of Leonardo di Vinci and the history of art collecting。 The section about the painting's origins in the Italian Renaissance felt incredibly detailed and vibrant and made me realize why this painting is still considered important and enigmatic。 The author frequently incorporated the stories of women into this historical account， which felt fitting considering t In following the painting "Lady with an Ermine" across time and space， the author weaves a compelling narrative about the enduring genius of Leonardo di Vinci and the history of art collecting。 The section about the painting's origins in the Italian Renaissance felt incredibly detailed and vibrant and made me realize why this painting is still considered important and enigmatic。 The author frequently incorporated the stories of women into this historical account， which felt fitting considering the painting's female subject。However， as the book progressed I felt the story becoming more and more distanced from the main theme， the enduring legacy of the painting。 While the biographies of the Polish nobility who owned the work are interesting， the book could have benefited from simultaneously exploring why this work of art remained valuable and coveted across several centuries。 Some passages felt convoluted as I was reading them， most often due to a need for additional context or clarity。 This becomes most evident in the final section， which follows its exhibition history。 While the painting's return to Italy and its inclusion in the major Leonardo exhibition serve as fitting conclusions to the painting's history， it felt disconnected from the previous sections and often became repetitive。 Since the painting clearly elicited a strong emotional response from figures across history， I wish this theme recurred more frequently throughout the book。 Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a copy for early review！ 。。。more
Margaret Sankey
，