Portrait of Simonetta Vespucci

Portrait of Simonetta Vespucci is an oil on canvas painting by the Italian Renaissance painter Piero di Cosimo, dating from about 1480 or 1490.

Sandro Botticelli was inspired by her features in The Birth of Venus and Piero di Cosimo was a passionate admirer.

[1] At the base of the painting is a border with an inscription that mimics carved letters, a method used in art since the Flemish painter Jan van Eyck at the beginning of the century; it reads: SIMONETTA IANUENSIS VESPUCCIA.

[3][4] The bust, in 15th-century style, is slightly turned towards the spectator, so as to favour the view, and her shoulders are wrapped in a richly embroidered cloth.

The hairstyle is that of a married woman, gathered up in braids and richly decorated with ribbons, beads, and pearls.