Lady with an ermine (1489-91)- Lady with an Ermine�is now housed at the�Czartoryski Museum�in�Krak�w, and is one of�Poland's�national treasures. It is a portrait of�Cecilia Gallerani, the mistress of Leonardo's Milanese employer,�Ludovico Sforza. The animal resting in Cecilia's arms is usually known as an�ermine, the so-called symbol of purity. Leonardo painted ermine bigger than its natural size.������� *Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (1452�1519) was Italian painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. He gained notoriety for his notebooks, in which he produced sketches and notes on a variety of topics, including anatomy, astronomy, botany, painting, and palaeontology, even though his popularity primarily stemmed from his accomplishments as a painter. Only his younger contemporary, Michelangelo, has made a greater impact to following generations of painters than Leonardo, who is widely recognised as a genius and the embodiment of the Renaissance humanist ideal.�