Cecilia Gallerani - "Lady with an Ermine"

Only after the insistence of his second wife, Beatrice d'Este, Ludovico broke the relationship with Cecilia, who received a fief after giving birth to a natural son of Duke. Cecilia dedicated herself to literature and poetry, learning to read and write in Latin, and moved to Palazzo Carmagnola, a gift by Ludovico to her son, and she lived there with Lodovico Bergamini, a husband the Moor found for her, and a small court.

During her years as Ludovico's mistress, Gallerani became the subject of one of Leonardo da Vinci most famous paintings, "Lady with an Ermine", commissioned by the Moor himself. Cecilia became a friend of Leonardo, and invited him to her circle, a place to discuss philosophy, arts, and culture.

The painting remained with Gallerani for her entire life, also when she was forced to abandon Milan after Ludovico fell in political disgrace, finding refuge in nearby Mantua. In 1798 "Lady with an Ermine" was purchased by prince Adam Jerzy Czartoryski, and today is preserved in Czartoryski Museum in Krakow.

There is no certainty about the year of her death, but historians dated it around the year 1536.