Portrait of Beatrix Pacheco, Countess of Montbel and Entremonts, ca. 1550

About the Work

The fashion of the time: the young Countess of Montbel and Entremonts is wearing a black dress enhanced with red upper sleeves decorated with white and gold bands, and has a necklace draped over her shoulders. Her hair has been skilfully arranged in curls on her forehead and the ends of the hair are held in place by a cap decorated with gold bands. A gentle smile plays across the lips of Beatrix Pacheco. The girl had come to France in the entourage of Eleonore of Castile and later belonged to the court of Catherine de Medici there. This small-format portrait of the countess was painted in the style of the court painter François Clouet.