This piece is called Lady with an Ermine by Leonardo da Vinci. It’s a portrait of 16 year-old Cecilia Gallerani, the favorite mistress of the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza. It’s a painting created to commemorate the couple's relationship. A relationship that ended before the painting could even be completed due to Sforza’s marriage to Beatrice d’Este. Why did Leonardo da Vinci choose to include such a strange animal in this portrait? It’s probably not for the reason you might think!