What the Ermine Saw

The Extraordinary Journey of Leonardo da Vinci's Most Mysterious Portrait

By: Eden Collinsworth

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

Length: 5 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

The remarkable true story behind one of history’s most enigmatic portraits—"a glorious picaresque of unbridled passions and unmitigated scoundrels, a glorious romp through the great palaces and palazzos of Europe" (Amanda Foreman, New York Times best-selling author of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire)

Five hundred and thirty years ago, a young woman sat before a Grecian-nosed artist known as Leonardo da Vinci. Her name was Cecilia Gallerani, and she was the young mistress of Ludovico Sforza, duke of Milan. Sforza was a brutal and clever man who was mindful that Leonardo’s genius would not only capture Cecilia’s beguiling beauty but also reflect the grandeur of his title. But when the portrait was finished, Leonardo’s brush strokes had conveyed something deeper by revealing the essence of Cecilia’s soul. Even today, The Woman with an Ermine manages to astonish.

Despite the work's importance in its own time, no records of it have been found for the two hundred and fifty years that followed Gallerani’s death. Readers of The Hare with the Amber Eyes will marvel at Eden Collinsworth’s dexterous story of illuminates the eventual history of this unique masterpiece, as it journeyed from one owner to the next–from the portrait’s next recorded owner, a Polish noblewoman, who counted Benjamin Franklin as an admirer, to its exile in Paris during the Polish Soviet War, to its return to WWII-era Poland where—in advance of Germany’s invasion—it remained hidden behind a bricked-up wall by a housekeeper who defied Hitler’s edict that it be confiscated as one of the Reich’s treasures. Fans of Anne-Marie O’Connor’s The Lady in Gold will treasure the story of this criss-crossing journey and the enigmatic woman at its heart.

What the Ermine Saw is a fact-based story that cheats fiction and a reminder that genius, power, and beauty always have a price.

©2022 Eden Collinsworth (P)2022 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"The clarity, precision, and mellow grace of Cassandra Campbell's narrations have made her a favorite for a wide range of audiobook subjects, often the most challenging. Here she animates and maintains the continuity of a history that might easily seem esoteric, fractured, and, for long stretches, cloudy.... This long step between Milan in the 1400s and the court of Catherine the Great to the Nazi Hans Frank illustrates the importance of a steady, focused, sustaining voice. Here, Golden Voice Campbell is at her very best." (AudioFile)

"What the Ermine Saw is a glorious picaresque of unbridled passions and unmitigated scoundrels. Eden Collinsworth takes us on a glorious romp through the great palaces and palazzos of Europe as she traces the extraordinary adventures of one of Leonardo da Vinci’s greatest masterpieces."–Amanda Foreman, author of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire

"Collinsworth unwinds a thoroughly captivating story about a single painting. . .Filled with beauty, passion, greed, and evil, Collinsworth’s search is a spirited art history yarn."–Kirkus Reviews

“Collinsworth conveys the vicissitudes of European history and the enduring fascination of da Vinci’s work. . . this is an entertaining and accessible study of a masterpiece.”–Publishers Weekly

Straightforward history

Most of what is in this book, I learned from the historical fiction Night Portrait by Laura Morelli, and yet I didn’t even really like that book! I don’t remember for certain why, maybe the narration, maybe the attempt to juxtapose the history of the painting with WWII art theft and rescue. This book does a similar thing, but tries to revolve it all around this one painting, though the author does give a broader history. This book is partially a biography of Leonardo da Vinci, woven in with history of the various time periods in which the Lady with the Ermine “shows her face”, and sometimes when she has gone missing. The story is interesting, but it is a rather dry narrative with a fine but kind of mechanical reading. This is actually exciting history, certainly for parts of it, and I think it could have been told better.

Wonderful Story

Beautifully written story. Learned so much about Italy, diVinci, and the art world. A must read1

So Many Names

It was hard to get into the story at times, because there were so many names mentioned throughout the entire book. It was a challenge to keep up with them all, and took away from some of the joy of the book.

Superb

I enjoyed this book so much ,I don't know what to do now. Thank you !

History and the paintings intersection

The book is mostly about historical snapshots that are in some way related to the painting, often peripherally. Not a lot about the painter or painting, more about where and when it pops up in time.