Beatrice of Aragon

Far fewer male portraits are attributed to Laurana than portrait busts of women, possibly because the men are more varied and less easily recognized. Laurana's male heads are strongly characterized, even idiosyncratic. The surviving nine female busts are far more consistent in type and style. These include two named by inscriptions (one being the Frick's Beatrice of Aragon), several tentatively identified through comparison with other portraits, and at least two others known to be idealized, posthumous commemorations. Because they are so similar and so abstract, it is difficult to judge from the works themselves how closely they approximate a living likeness.

The inscription identifies the sitter of the present bust as Beatrice of Aragon (1457-1508). She was the daughter of the king of Naples Ferrante I of Aragon and Isabella of Chiaramonte. She received an exceptional education. Following various failed marriage negotiations, Ferrante successfully contracted Beatrice's engagement to Matthias Corvinus, king of Hungary (1443-1490) in 1474. On September 15, 1476, Beatrice was married by proxy to Corvinus and ceremonially crowned in the church of Incoronata, Naples. The official coronation took place in Székesfehérvár, Hungary, on December 12, 1476, with Corvinus's blessing. The court historian Antonio Bonfiini recounted the pomp and spectacle of the extravagant banquets, jousting tournaments, and other festivities held in honour of the royal couple in the subsequent days.