The rosary the woman has in her hands is the symbol of a bride and therefore even more proof for the assumption that we are looking at a wedding portrait. At the top of the rosary there is something else. It is a so-called pomander. The word pomander is derived from the French pomme d’ambre, meaning ‘apple of amber’. It is usually a ball-shaped container filled with fragrant substances such as amber. The pomander was said to have healing powers and even protect against the plague. But the pricy little ball was also used to attack nasty smells, of which there were a great deal in the Middle Ages. So in fact it was a very early form of aromatherapy. The balls were perforated and sometimes consisted of several partitions, each containing a different perfume. Pomanders were usually made of gold or silver and hung on a chain, a belt or as is the case here, a rosary.