The picture of Caterina and this one were painted at the same time. Compare the pictures of the two women: Both are painted from the side.
Carpaccio's picture shows a wealthy, noble woman. She wears a precious, decorated dress and a bonnet. Her forehead is high, her lips thin, she has a slight double chin and she looks into the distance with her brown eyes. Carpaccio paints a confident, unique woman. She holds a book in her hand, a sign of education. The book goes very well with her precious, decorated dress.
The nobles and wealthy citizens of Venice loved these small portraits. Carpaccio tried something new: in his pictures he put something in people's hands that said something about their character – like the book in this picture.