Raffaello sanzio, la velata, 1515 ca., 04

The figure is depicted from the torso up, wearing an opulent white silk gown with voluminous, pleated sleeves adorned with gold trim. A fine veil drapes from her head over her shoulder, and she rests her right hand over her heart while wearing a necklace of dark, polished stones.

This portrait exemplifies the High Renaissance Neoplatonic ideal where physical beauty is viewed as a terrestrial reflection of divine harmony and virtue. The gesture of the hand to the heart and the presence of the veil relate to contemporary philosophical discourses on the nature of love and the 'veiling' of spiritual truths within material forms.