Portrait of Elizabeth Gonzaga

Raphael completed this portrait of Elisabetta Gonzaga, Duchess of Urbino, around 1504-1505. The oil on wood measures 52.9 by 37.4 centimeters. On her extremely pale forehead sits a distinctive jewel shaped like a scorpion containing a precious stone.

The scorpion ornament may be an amorous symbol, or it could reference Scorpio, the astrological sign linked to fertility. This would have been a hopeful charm for the duchess, who could not have children due to her husband's sterility. Raphael's ultra-fine painting technique shows influence from Flemish artists he would have seen in Urbino, particularly Justus van Gent.

The portrait came to Florence in 1635 as part of Vittoria Della Rovere's dowry. It was attributed to various artists before being recognized as Raphael's work in 1905. Today it hangs at the Uffizi Gallery alongside a portrait of her husband, Duke Guidobaldo I.