Is This Unicorn a Dog? Uncovering the Mysteries of Raphael’s Masterpiece

Renaissance Masterpiece

Raphael painted the portrait in oil on panel around 1505–1506. During the conservation process in 1934–1936, it was transferred to canvas—the form in which we can admire the work today. It shows a young blonde woman holding a tiny unicorn on her lap, seated before the parapet of a loggia. Behind her, we can see an open, distant, atmospheric hilly landscape with a large portion of clear blue sky.

While the composition and three-quarter pose clearly recall Leonardo’s Mona Lisa, the sitter’s expression sets her apart. Instead of the mysterious smile, she meets the viewer with a calm, observant gaze that reflects the Renaissance ideal of composed beauty. It’s likely that Raphael saw Leonardo’s work in Florence sometime around 1503 or 1504, shortly before painting this portrait.

The young woman is, in fact, a noblewoman, which we can assume by her rich outfit. She is wearing a velvet red-sleeved dress with a tight, light-colored corset, and a necklace with a pendant adorned with a ruby and a pearl. Her arms are coated with a delicate, translucent veil. In her hands, she holds a small animal—a docile unicorn, the emblem of chastity.

Style Analysis

Portrait of Young Woman with Unicorn showcases hallmarks of Raphael’s early Florentine style: graceful contours, soft modeling, and an attention to psychological nuance. The influence of Leonardo da Vinci is unmistakable, particularly in the sitter’s pose, the folded hands, and the placement within the dreamy, atmospheric background. Even the three-quarter-length format is similar to that of Leonardo’s composition. Undoubtedly, Raphael adopted da Vinci’s techniques but tempered them with his own clarity and elegance, establishing a serene and harmonious mood. However, the painting didn’t always look that way…

Uncovering the Original Composition

Interestingly, Raphael’s first conception for this painting was quite different. The master sketched a figure of a small, lap dog (symbol of fidelity, often included in marital portraits) in the place of the unicorn. In 1933, the Director of the Borghese Gallery uncovered the dog through X-ray analysis. If you look closely enough, can still see it! The dog’s ears, faintly visible on the woman’s sleeve, remain a ghostly reminder of the original version.

We don’t know why Raphael changed the composition of the portrait, but for sure it shifted the portrait’s moral and symbolic message.

The Overpainting and Misattribution

But that’s not the only change that happened to the painting. Speaking of Raphael… well before the year 1936, everybody thought this masterpiece depicted a popular Christian martyr, Saint Catherine of Alexandria, and was likely painted by Perugino. Even the gallery’s inventory from 1760 confirmed that thesis.

The reason for this? The masterpiece didn’t look the way it does now. The repainting was probably commissioned due to the painting’s deteriorating condition, as the inventory of 1682 mentions the masterpiece was “badly flaking”. As early as 1916, some scientists began to suspect that it had been overpainted. Yet the changes fooled nearly everyone.

So, in the mid- or late 17th century, the unknown artist (likely Giovanni Antonio Sogliani) fully covered the unicorn and instead added the attributes of St. Catherine: spiked wheel (the emblem of her tortures) and the palm (attribute of martyrdom). The garments of the lady were also altered. The voluminous, red sleeves got covered with a thick coat that, somewhat awkwardly, laid on top of her shoulders. The sitter’s ample cloak even covered the dreamy, sfumato landscape.

These changes reflect a broader trend in art history where secular images were retrofitted with religious meaning. Fortunately, the alterations were removed during the restoration works in 1936. The portrait was freed from religious interpretation, revealing Raphael’s original composition beneath centuries of reinterpretation. This confirmed Raphael’s attribution, made by Roberto Longhi in 1927.

Mysterious Identity of the Sitter

When the attributes of the saint were removed, everyone started to speculate about the sitter’s secret identity.

Some scholars proposed that Maddalena Strozzi, the wife of Agnolo Doni, may have sat for this portrait, and implied that the Young Woman with Unicorn is pendant to the portrait of Maddalena’s husband. Others suggested Giulia Farnese, the mistress of Pope Alexander VI Borgia, who was previously painted with a unicorn, as it was Farnese’s family symbol. If not his mistress, then maybe his daughter? Linda Wolk-Simon stated that Laura Orsini, the daughter of Giulia Farnese, seems to be the most plausible sitter. After all, the painting was in the collection of the Pope’s descendants, so it might have something to do with Pope Borgia himself.

Other researchers propose that the artist idealized the portrait, reflecting Renaissance tendencies to blend real individuals with allegorical or poetic symbolism. In either case, Raphael’s treatment presents the woman as an emblem of virtue, grace, and noble bearing.

Unicorn Symbolism

Unicorns in medieval and Renaissance iconography were potent symbols of chastity and purity, often associated with virgin saints or noble brides. People believed that only a virgin could tame the unicorn. Their mythical nature lent them a dual meaning: exotic wonder and moral virtue. Does it serve as a symbol of purity in this portrait? Or is it hinting at the sitter’s identity?

A Masterpiece of Hidden Meanings

The Young Woman with Unicorn remains a work of layered meanings and evolving identities, and is still enigmatic to us. We don’t know where and when it was painted, or on what occasion it was commissioned, and by whom.

Its transformation—from a secular portrait to a religious image and back again—mirrors the shifting values and aesthetics of the societies that preserved it. Today, it stands as a testament to Raphael’s genius and the enduring power of art to captivate, conceal, and reveal. Through careful study and restoration, we continue to uncover new dimensions of a painting that has quietly enchanted viewers for over five centuries.

The Young Woman with Unicorn is currently on view at the Gallerie d’Italia in Naples until June 22, 2025. The event is part of The Illustrious Guest series, curated and promoted by the Intesa Sanpaolo group.