3-085-479 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Portrait of Beatrix Pacheco, Countess of Montbel and Entremonts, c1550. The fashion of the time: the young Countess 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, the ends of the hair are held in place by a cap decorated with gold bands. A gentle smile plays across her lips. She had come to France in the entourage of Eleonore of Castile and was later attached 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.