The musical virtuosa and courtesan poet Gaspara Stampa (1523-54) is today best known for her love poetry, most of which was addressed to Count Collatino di Collalto. Earlier historians were fascinated by her unrequited love affair, her poetŐs lifestyle and her immorality. This paper will examine the ways in which this fascination is reflected in the images that are said to represent her, in particular one group derived from an allegorical portrait of Poesia (Poetry) by Guercino, painted almost a century after her death.