Petrarch's Laura, from a portrait by Simone Martini, 14th century. She wears a small white hood with red fringe, fastened at the neck with gold buttons, and a green damask dress embroidered in gold. To identify Laura, Martini has painted a small flame under her throat. Handcoloured illustration drawn and lithographed by Paul Mercuri with text by Camille Bonnard from "Historical Costumes from the 12th to 15th Centuries," Levy Fils, Paris, 1860.