Final answer:
The earliest known portrait of Vlad II Dracul, Dracula's father, does not exist. All provided options (a painting, a woodcut, an engraving) are incorrect; the correct answer is 'No known portrait'.
Step-by-step explanation:
The earliest known portrait of Vlad II Dracul, the father of the historical figure known as Dracula, does not actually exist. Vlad II Dracul was a member of the House of Drăculești, a dynasty of rulers in Wallachia during the Middle Ages. The options provided in the question suggest various types of artworks such as a 1440 painting, a 1450 woodcut, and a 1460 engraving.
However, no portrait or pictorial representation of Vlad II Dracul is known to have survived to the present day. Thus, the correct answer to the student's question is d) No known portrait.
This is distinct from figures like Stalin or artists like Albrecht Dürer, whose likenesses have been captured in various types of media. It is worth noting that authenticating portraits from the medieval period can be challenging due to the loss of many artworks over time and the limited techniques available for documentation.