Lady with an Ermine

This masterpiece was painted by Leonardo da Vinci ca. 1490 in Milan. It is accepted as one of the world’s greatest paintings, and seeing it up close was an experience that is hard to describe.

It is displayed in a special room in the Czartoryski Museum in Krakow in perfectly subdued light, with a security person guarding the painting. The atmosphere in the room was one of church-like silence, and admiration. Most people stayed for a period of time, as I did.

The model is thought to have been Duke Ludovico il Moro’s mistress, Cecilia Gallerani.