Portrait of a Young Woman (Laura) 1506

Giorgione’s *Portrait of a Young Woman (Laura)* (1506) is a captivating example of Venetian portraiture from the High Renaissance. The painting, now located in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria, is a half-length portrait of a young woman, believed to be Laura, a Venetian noblewoman. The mysterious and alluring subject is depicted against a dark background, with a delicate branch of bay leaves framing her face. The leaves allude to her virtue and chastity, a common theme in Venetian portraiture of the period.