Thread by @museumweirdo

I've posted about this before, but I'm never going to stop until the whole world knows about SEX WEASELS in Renaissance art. (A thread)

In the 16th century, it was widely believed that weasels conceived through their ears and gave birth through their mouth.

This spawned a whole language of hidden sexual symbolism in art, with weasels standing in for everything from fertility talismans to phallic symbols. ⁣

A 16th c portrait of a young bride wearing an ermine, sable or mink, for instance, was believed to bring good luck in helping her to get pregnant. Notice how her hand rests over her womb.

Hopefully her husband knew better than to put it in her ear though...

White weasels, on the other hand, were symbols of sexual purity, because many believed that white ermine would rather give themselves up to hunters rather than risk soiling their pristine fur in the chase. ⁣

Da Vinci's white ermine asserts the "purity" of his subject...the pregnant 16 year old mistress of the Duke of Milan (Leonardo's employer).

The Duke belonged to a knighthood called the Order of the Ermine, so some think this muscular weasel also symbolises his virility.

In this Parmigianino portrait, Countess San Secondo grasps a jewelled weasel pelt, a symbol of her husband's success in siring three male heirs.

This painting is hung next to a portrait of the Count, so his son must spend eternity staring at his father's impressive codpiece.

Artworks by Leonardo da Vinci, William Segar, Parmigianino and Lorenzo Lotto.

Full attributions and more sex weasel examples on my blog The Museum of Ridiculously Interesting Things: shorturl.at/qsLW5

Before someone asks: in the 16th century "weasel" was a catch-all term to describe any of the long-bodied creatures in the mustelid family, such as ermine, sables, martens, ferrets or mink.

The term SEX WEASEL is my invention and should be screamed loudly in art museums.