Laura

Laura is sometimes known as Portrait of a Young Bride. Like Giorgione's other works, it is unsigned. An inscription on the reverse, accepted as early 16th century, identifies Giorgione as the painter and provides the date, making this the only work by the artist bearing a reliable date.

The painting might show a young bride backed by a branch of laurel (Laurus), symbol of chastity, and carrying the nuptial veil. The gesture of opening the fur mantle to uncover the bosom indicates fecundity (and, therefore, maternity), as an offer of love and seduction.

Alternatively, the figure might show a courtesan—certainly many of the paintings in the Venetian tradition the Laura inspired were of figures to be read as courtesans, often posing as a mythological figure or the personification of an abstract quality. Laura is one of the less controversial attributions to Giorgione.