One of Leonardo da Vinci’s most celebrated portraits, the subject of the “Lady with an Ermine” is Cecilia Gallerani, mistress of the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza. In this beautiful portrait, located in Krakow, Poland, Leonardo introduced further innovations to the genre of Italian portraiture, particularly by figuring out how to bring the portrait to life. Cecilia suddenly turns to her left, almost as if someone, perhaps her lover, has surprised her as she poses for the artist with ermine in hand. Buona visione!