Pisanello is the last exponent of that very elegant culture of the courts known as international Gothic or late Gothic. An itinerant artist between Verona and Venice, Mantua and Milan, Rome and Naples, he was long in the service of Leonello d'Este, the cultured marquis of Ferrara. The portrait of Carrara was perhaps painted on the occasion of the famous painting competition between Jacopo Bellini and Pisanello in 1441. The profile setting recalls the model of ancient medals, but the characteristic features of the face are investigated with precision. Leonello's thick hair, the brocade of the dress and the herbarium flowers of the rose garden are described in detail, through the soft and melted brushstroke typical of the artist's refined and profane taste.