Beatrix d'Este

Beatrice d'Este (1475 - 1497) was duchess of Bari and Milan by marriage to Ludovico Sforza. She was reputed as one of the most beautiful and accomplished princesses of the Italian Renaissance. This drawing is copied from a plate by Paul Mercuri in Camille Bonnard's 'Costumes Historiques', itself based on a detail of Beatrice from the Sforza Altarpiece in Milan. It has been suggested that this drawing was the inspiration for Isabella's costume in Millais's 'Isabella, one of first great statements of Pre-Raphaelitism and also in the collection of the Walker Art Gallery.