“Portrait of Ginevra d’Este” (“Portrait of a Princess”) is a work of the early Quattrocento Italian painter Antonio Pisanello. The profile of the princess is reminiscent of the chased images created on commemorative medals. Some researchers have suggested that the one depicted is not Ginevra d’Este, but another representative of this house, nee Gonzago. However, it is now believed that the portrait still belongs to Ginevra.

The girl is depicted against a background of flowers. For the modern viewer, they mean no more than just a picturesque “natural” background, but they could tell a lot about the artist’s contemporaries. Each flower has its own symbolic meaning and denotes a certain phenomenon. Included by the painter in the “context” of the work, these flowers carry a secret meaning, revealing the life story of the princess. Ginevra d’Este was killed by her husband because she could not have children. The carnation flowers and bells of the columbine symbolize marriage and fertility, but the columbine (aquilegia) has another meaning – death. A sprig of juniper pinned to the sleeve of the dress also speaks of death.