A LADY WITH TWO FACES

A lady with two faces is an article by Francesca Key, whose title creates curiosity about the lady in question. Interest in the content of the article is kept alert even by the subheading that sounds “the second most famous woman in Leonardo’s life”. It follows that the reader may be interested in the “she” who makes a rare trip to London. The language creates interest in different ways: “two faces”, “most famous woman”, “her magic”.

The article argumentation starts shifting to considerations about the ermine in nature and Leonardo’s representation in the painting. The mesmerizing effect of the animal is the same the viewer feels in front of Leonardo’s work of art where “it becomes a beloved pet” even if “it is very much alert”.

The journalist then develops the article trying to guide the reader to find out the magic of the picture providing information about the lady closely linked to her mind.

A 16 years old girl, the mistress of Lodovico Sforza, she was later dismissed and all the same she took the painting with her. The journalist moves from the lady to the painting to inform the reader that at the moment of writing the painting is in Krakove and is about to be displace in the National Gallery, together with other paintings and drawings. Again the journalist focuses all of the reader attention on the lady of the painting now defined the star.

The next paragraph tells about her history and questions the reason why Leonardo pared her with an animal that may hardly be considered tender. Also he wants to draw the attention on the lady’s face-ship that is similar to the ermine’s.

The coming paragraphs provide a double prospective in answering the questions posed: it may be a tribute to Lodovico who used the animal as an emblem, but there is a more interesting point of view: the ermine is Cecilia herself. The two elements of the picture seem to create a rime and almost indivisible one, at the same time projecting an ambiguous aspect. “Two aspects of one being”, this is the most convincing interpretation the reader comes across.

Also the ermine has two faces: the pure and the wild. In line with Leonardo’s conviction, the great painter has to paint man and the intention of his mind. The allowed of the painting infect rests on its “traboling duality”. Stote and ermine equal girl and animal. Cecilia was pure and predator at the same time.

Along the whole article she is the core of debate, her nature, her story, her ambiguity. She captivated Lodovico, but she depended on his patronage and was subject to his decisions.

Her elegant and fascinating proportions that much with the ermine reinforce the most important message of the article: an invitation to visit the exhibition to behold a woman ambiguous and flood.