Portrait of a noblewoman, possibly Archduchess Joanna of Austria (1547–1578), later Grand Duchess of Tuscany, three-quarter-length, in a crimson velvet dress embellished with pearls,
oil on canvas, 124.5 x 97 cm, framed

The present portrait shows a young woman, possibly Archduchess Joanna of Austria or one of her sisters, in front of an architectural setting, her right hand resting on a balustrade. Her body is turned slightly to her right as she looks towards the viewer. The sitter is wearing a richly decorated crimson velvet dress which corresponds to the European fashion of the third quarter of the 16th century. The high-neck bodice and puffed sleeves are decorated with S-shaped ornaments framed by vertical stripes, all made of white pearls. A similar dress is depicted in the portraits of Joanna of Austria (inv. no. GG 3997) and Barbara of Austria (inv. no. GG 3994) by Francesco Terzio, both dated around 1565 and conserved at Schloss Ambras, Innsbruck.

Joanna of Austria was the youngest daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary, who died in childbirth. Her fate, like that of her nine sisters, three of whom took Holy Orders, was determined by the marriage policy of her father, who gave his daughters away to the Catholic courts of Europe.

In historical documents, Joanna is described as a unique example of goodness and religiosity. Her marriage with the Tuscan Grand Duke Francesco I in 1565 led to a dynastic connection between the Habsburg and Medici dynasties. The wedding ceremony was the most expensive and longest ever held in Florence and an expression of Tuscany’s new imperial self-image. However, the marriage with the Medici Prince remained unhappy due to his infidelity and Joanna’s homesickness. She died at only 31 years during her eighth pregnancy.