ACCADEMIA CARRARA, Hall 2 And Hall 3

The first work you’ll see is a splendid, little painting entitled “Ritratto di Lionello d’Este” (Portrait of Lionello d’Este), a portrait made in 1441 of the Marquis of Ferrara by Pisanello, one of the finest painters of the early Renaissance.

The profile of the face, as you can see, resembles the portraits shown on coins, and in fact Pisanello was a highly acclaimed medal maker of the time. It is admirable how he was able to depict the details of the face in such fine detail, as well as the patterns and embroidery of the exquisite fabric. The rose garden in the background alludes to heaven on earth.

Let’s now take a look at the “Madonna col Bambino” (Madonna with Child), painted by the renowned artist Andrea Mantegna around 1475, just after he had completed the famous Camera degli Sposi, or Wedding Chamber, in Mantua.

The work is part of a group of small paintings featuring the Madonna with Child that Mantegna had produced for private customers and not for places of worship....