Portrait of Princess (Pisanello)

Portrait of Princess
Artist	Pisanello
Year	1435–1449
Medium	Tempera on panel
Dimensions	43 cm × 30 cm (17 in × 12 in)
Location	Louvre, Paris

Portrait of Princess is a tempera painting on panel attributed to the Italian Late-Gothic master Pisanello. It was probably executed between 1435 and 1449 and is also known as Portrait of a Princess of the House of Este. It is firmly attributed to Pisanello on stylistic grounds and because he stayed in Ferrara in the period, where he also finished a portrait and a celebrative medal of Marquis Leonello d'Este.

The princess is shown in profile against a background of numerous butterflies and columbine flowers. The butterfly near the princess' brow is a symbol of the soul.

The painting is currently housed and exhibited in the Musée du Louvre in Paris, France.

This picture first came to light in 1860 in a sale, when it was bought by the German Consul Felix Bamberg. In 1893 the Louvre acquired it from Charles Picard for 30000 francs.

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 of butterflies, pinks and columbines, 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. Women of this era frequently plucked their eyebrows, hairlines, and drew hair tightly away from the face to accentuate this quality.

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