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52 Beatrice d’Este

Beatrice d’Este (1475–1497) was the daughter of the Duke of Ferrara, and in 1491, she was married to Ludovico Sforza of the Duchy of Milan at the age of fifteen. As regent for the Duke of Milan, Ludovico already held real power, but three years later in 1494, he became Duke of Milan. It is thought that this bust was commissioned by Beatrice as a gift for her parents on the occasion of her marriage. On her bodice, the emblems of the Este and Sforza families are combined, alluding to the alliance formed between the two houses through this marriage. The bust is the work of Gian Cristoforo Romano, a poet, connoisseur of ancient art, and renowned sculptor who completed commissions for various Italian courts. Beatrice’s hairstyle and the thin headband wrapped around her forehead were fashionable in Milan during the 1490s, and similar fashion elements can also be seen in Leonardo’s La Belle Ferronnière (no. 56).