Lady with an Ermine by Leonardo (details)
Leonardo da Vinci she loved to embed images and words in his paintings, giving life to intricate rebus still largely mysterious today:the Lady with an Ermine is no exception ( see: https://www.pilloledistoria.it/8136/storia-moderna/la-collana-di-cecilia-gallerani-leonardesca-dama-con-lermellino.
In fact, one of the most famous works of the Tuscan genius is not without symbols and more or less hidden signs.
Leonardo loved nature and animals very much ( see :Https://www.pilloledistoria.it/7549/storia-moderna/leonardo-da-vinci-animalista-un-anecdote), which depicted very often, but in this case the ermine assumes also very specific meanings.
The girl holding him in her arms is Cecilia Gallerani, favorite of Ludovico il Moro, customer of the painting.
Well, in the Lady with an Ermine , nothing is left to chance.
In fact, the tender animal symbolizes on the one hand the noble house of the girl , on the other, the Moor himself.
This depends on the fact that the name of the ermine, in Greek, is galé, with clear reference to the model's surname, while Ludovico himself was Knight of the Order of the Ermine.
The prestigious title had been conferred on him by the king Ferdinand I of Naples for his contribution to the repression of the revolt of the barons in the South.