Portrait of Elisabetta Gonzaga

The Duchess is presented with a solemn expression, wearing a black gown adorned with gold-embroidered borders and delicate gold chains. The borders contain stylized, repeating gold-thread patterns that resemble pseudo-Kufic script or a decorative cipher. Although not visible in this detail, she famously wears a small scorpion-shaped jewel on her forehead as a 'ferronnière'.

Elisabetta Gonzaga was the intellectual center of the Court of Urbino and the presiding figure in Baldassare Castiglione's 'The Book of the Courtier,' a foundational text for Renaissance Neoplatonism and courtly conduct. Her scorpion jewel is often interpreted as an astrological emblem of the zodiac sign Scorpio or as a protective amulet related to her personal fortitude.