| Portrait of Princess | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Pisanello |
| Year | c. 1435-1445 |
| Medium | Tempera on panel |
| Dimensions | 43 cm × 30 cm (17 in × 12 in) |
| Location | Louvre,Paris |
Portrait of Princess is atemperapainting onpanel attributed to the Italian Late-Gothic masterPisanello. It was probably executed between 1435 and 1445 and is also known asPortrait of a Princess of theHouse of Este. It is firmly attributed to Pisanello on stylistic grounds and because he stayed inFerrara in the period, where he also finished aportrait and a celebrativemedal of MarquisLeonello d'Este.
The princess is shown in profile against a background of numerous butterflies and columbine flowers. Thebutterfly (it seems aVanessa atalanta) near the princess' brow is a symbol of the soul.
The painting is currently housed and exhibited in theMusée du Louvre inParis,France.
This picture first came to light in 1860 in a sale, when it was bought by theGermanConsulFelix Bamberg. In 1893 theLouvre acquired it fromCharles Picard for 30000francs.
For a long time there has been no doubt in anyone's mind as to the name of the artist; but the identity of the sitter remains a mystery. The portrait represents a very young woman, hardly more than a girl. Against the background of greenery, with its sprinkling ofbutterflies,pinks andcolumbines, the profile is sharply defined. Her hair is styled to create the appearance of a high, round forehead, an attribute of beauty in Renaissance Italy.[1] Women of this era frequently plucked their eyebrows, hairlines, and drew hair tightly away from the face to accentuate this quality.[2]
The only solid basis for a hypothesis of identification is theembroidery on her sleeve, representing the two-handled vase of theEste family; this is also found on the reverse of a medal whichPisanello designed forLionello d'Este. Attempts have therefore been made to connect the portrait with various princesses of this family. Pisanello was one of the artists employed by them, and stayed on several occasions inFerrara (Italy), where he decorated a room in thePalazzo Schifanoia.
MargheritaGonzaga (d. 1439) might be one possibility for the sitter. She was the wife ofLionello d'Este, and the picture might have been painted at the time of their marriage in 1433. Another suggestion identifies this fresh and young face asGinevra d'Este, because of the sprig ofjuniper on the sleeve - though this may simply be an emblem of happiness and not a pun on her name. She was the unfortunate niece and wife of the redoubtableSigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta, who subjectedRomagna to fire and arms, and whose shamelessaffaire withIsotta degli Atti was the scandal of the age. It was Malatesta who commissionedpolymathLeon Battista Alberti to build theTempio Malatestiano atRimini. He had his wife poisoned in 1440, when she was only twenty-two. It has also been suggested that the lady in the portrait may be aGonzagaprincess: perhaps Beatrice, or Margherita, or the learned Cecilia, whomPisanello also depicted on a medal (cf. image at right).[3]
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