Mary of Austria (1505-1558)

Mary of Austria (1505–58) was Queen Consort of Hungary in 1522–6 and Regent of the Burgundian Netherlands in 1531–56. This three-quarter-length portrait depicts Mary at the age of fourteen. The magnificent crimson and gold hat that she wears appears in another picture of her, now in Coburg, Bavaria, making it likely that both are representations of an actual hat. In this Society’s unique, three-quarter length portrait image of the fourteen year old Mary of Austria, she is seen against a background that now graduates from green at the top to yellow at the bottom. She is turned slightly to her right in the direction of her gaze, her hands folded and partly concealed by the wide sleeves of her garment. The composition is dominated by her long, pale face, brown eyes and full red-lipped mouth – all Hapsburg family traits – but equally by her expensive hat and striking high-waisted, crimson gown.