Portrait of Leonello d'Este

This colorful portrait in profile depicts the Marquis of Ferrara, Leonello d'Este, also known as "little lion.

"[1] The work's origins may lie in an artistic contest between Pisanello and Jacopo Bellini in the first half of 1441, instigated by Niccolò III d'Este and with Niccolò's son Leonello offering himself as the subject.

Bellini won according to the poet Ulisse degli Aleotti, but Pisanello still proved a success at the Este court, particularly with the six noted medallions commissioned from him by Leonello.

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