Christopher Gregg
Throughout the Renaissance, the ermine was a very important symbol of purity. The ermine is depicted in heraldic symbols, royal gowns, and in significant portraits of the Renaissance. The ermine, classified as Mustela erminea, is of the weasel family, and is commonly found in Canada and Northern Europe. The ermine is known for its pure white fur with its noticeable black tip on its tail, which has been highly prized by trappers since the 16th century. Ermines are very small animals, only 6 to 12 inches from head to rump, with a long, bushy tail. It is the tail that is prized by traders to make coats, stoles, or robes for monarchs, clergy, and the extremely wealthy. Legend has it that the ermine, with its beautiful white coat, would die before soiling its fur, which idea has lent itself to the ermine as a symbol of purity and chastity. We can find numerous examples in art, literature, and heraldry of the ermine representing the purity that its white coat suggests.
Henry Peacham's Emblem 75, entitled "Cui candor morte
redemptus," (purity bought with his own death), depicts a
hunter on horseback with two dogs chasing an ermine(Tung,
64). 
The
ermine in this emblem is incorrectly depicted as being
spotted. This is a common mistake, as garments made of
ermine were spotted due to the arrangement of the many
ermine tails with their characteristic black tip. The ermine
is also depicted as the size of a dog, though, in reality,
it is more similar to a squirrel. It is noteworthy that
Peacham's emblem has a hunter chasing the ermine with a
spear and dogs since the story commonly told at this time
was that hunters would surround an ermine with a mud ring
(Tung, 64). The ermine, realizing it cannot escape without
soiling its fur, would give up and surrender itself to the
hunters and their dogs. This can be seen in Giovio's
Imprese, in which he depicts an ermine surrounded by
mud and the banner above saying, "Malo Mori Quam Foedari,"
which could mean "Rather a bad death to defilement" (Strong,
148). Other emblems by Typotius and Camerarius provide
similar illustrations to Giovio's ermine. It is unclear why
Peacham departed from this convention, as it would only
serve to support his argument. The first sestet of Emblem 75
speaks to the "Ermin" as a symbol of purity: "But rather
chooseth, then the same should soile, / Be torne with
dogges, or taken with the toile" (Peacham, ll. 5-6). The
second sestet, however, is where Peacham makes his message
unique, applying the lesson of the ermine to the behavior of
lords and ladies. Peacham warns that "Great Lordes, and
Ladies" should prevent their minds and consciences from
becoming soiled, just as the ermine will not allow its fur
to get dirty. Peacham expands this further, encouraging his
readers to cultivate their minds, expanding their horizons
(Tung, 65). This interpretation of the story of the ermine
is more sophisticated and in-depth than the use of the
ermine in art of that time.
There are two very famous paintings from the late 15th
and 16th centuries that incorporate the ermine. 
Painted
in 1482-83, Leonardo da Vinci's Lady with the Ermine
is famous for its beautiful depiction of his patron's
mistress, Cecilia Gallerani. The other very famous portrait
depicting an ermine is The Ermine Portrait of Queen
Elizabeth I, by William Segar in 1585. There are many
possibilities for the significance of the ermine in
Leonardo's painting. Upon moving to Milan, Leonardo was
employed by Lodovico Sforza (or Lodovico il Moro) and
quickly commissioned to paint Lodovico's mistress, Cecilia
Gallerani. It has been inferred that the ermine was chosen
because Gallerani is a derivative of the Greek 
(galèe,) the Greek word for ermine. Because of
this, Lodovico, in order to express his love for Cecilia,
would use the ermine as his badge or emblem (Douglas, 79).
The ermine does, of course, serve double-duty in this sense,
as it maintains its symbolism of purity and chastity. This
is very fitting as Cecilia is very young in this portrait,
conjectured to be only 9 or 10 years old at this time of the
painting. It seems to me that though the ermine looks
particularly large in Cecilia's arms, we must remember that
she is very young in this painting, and thus it makes sense
for an animal of that size to fill a little girl's arms. It
has been proposed that this is not even an ermine, that it
is too large and too dark. However, given the age of
Cecilia, and the irony of her name and Lodovico's badge, it
is almost undisputable that this is, in fact, an ermine in
the portrait. The ermine is posed as a very noble creature,
portrayed as being very attentive and loyal to Cecilia.
Sir William Segar's portrait of Queen Elizabeth I has
emblematic connotations itself. 
The
portrait depicts Queen Elizabeth seated, dressed in guilded
robes, with an olive branch in her right hand, a crowned
ermine at her side, and a sword placed beside the ermine
(King, 58). The sword and the olive branch depict what she
tried to achieve as a queen: justice and peace. The ermine
(spotted, with a crown around its neck) symbolizes the
virginity and innocence of the queen. During this time
period there was an "iconographical shift" in how the queen
was depicted in paintings. According to John King, "this
shift is clearly evident in royal portraiture, which begins
to incorporate esoteric virginity symbols into arcane
allegories that may be impenetrable to casual observers"
(King, 58). The ermine is a perfect example of an esoteric
symbol of virginity to which King is referring. This shift
to portraying the Queen as a "perpetual virgin" is a result
of the failure of the courtship of the Duke of
Alençon in 1583. After this failure, the Queen made a
point to exploit the fact that she was not bound to
political compromises that came with royal marriages.
Because of this, Protestants claimed that, "her virginity
became a symbol of national independence" (King, 58). This
new "Cult of the Virgin Goddess" forced portrait artists
depicting the Queen to find unique symbols to express her
virginity. Segar creatively chose the ermine, which had by
then become an established symbol of chastity. The ermine is
once again depicted with spots to allow easy recognition by
viewers, as the message of the animal of is much more
important that the physical accuracy of the portrayal. It is
also interesting to note that the ermine is not leashed, but
is standing by the Queen of its own free will, symbolizing
that the Queen is independent by her own choice (King, 59).
Interestingly, William Segar was involved in the writing of
Henry Peacham's Minerva Britanna, providing an introductory
poem dedicated to Henry Peacham. This has become a very
famous portrait, as it has developed into a poster for this
pivotal time in England's history.
The ermine in Emblem 75 is just one of many symbolizing chastity or purity. Though a little known animal in modern times, the ermine was a very important heraldic symbol and device for artists in the Renaissance. The story behind the ermine in these works goes much deeper than a small weasel that is placed in a piece of art because it is aesthetically pleasing. Instead, the ermine carries with it a much deeper meaning that might not be obvious at first. For Leonardo, the ermine was not only a symbol of chastity to describe Cecilia Gallerani, but it also served as a pun on her name. For William Segar, the ermine was a way to convey a new image for his beloved Queen, a message that would echo throughout her kingdom. Giovio portrayed the ermine and its story in a very basic form, delivering only a very simple message and illustration. All of these different occurrences of the ermine provide a backdrop for Peacham's Emblem 75, in which he takes the story of the ermine and deviates from the common interpretation, creating an almost entirely unique message and lesson from the ermine.
(An early depiction of a "weasell" by Conrad Gesner)
Works Cited
Hibbert, Christopher. The Virgin Queen: Elizabeth I, Genius of the Golden Age. New York: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc., 1991.
Strong, Roy C. The Cult of Elizabeth: Elizabethan Portraiture and Pageantry. Hampshire, England: Thames and Hudson, 1977.
Douglas, R. Langton. Leonardo da Vinci: His Life and his Pictures. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1944.
Tung, Mason. "A List of Flora and Fauna in Henry Peacham's Minerva Britanna and Alciati's Emblemata Together with Possible Models in Contemporary Illustrations." Emblematica. Fall 1986. pp.345-357.
King, John N. "Queen Elizabeth I: Representation of the Virgin Queen." Renaissance Quarterly© 1990.
Gesner, Conrad=and Topsell, Edward. History of Foure-Footed Beasts. London, 1607. p. 727-729
- Chris Gregg
