2-999-569 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Portrait of Catherine de' Medici, c1580. Catherine de' Medici (1519-89) was the daughter of Lorenzo de' Medici, the duke of Urbino, and his French wife. Catherine married the duke of Orleans, later King Henry II of France (1519-59). Here, she is depicted with a widow's cap, which she continued to wear long after her husband's death. She was a patron and admirer of the exquisite enamel tableware produced in Limoges.