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Claude Gouffier (1501-1570) distinguished himself as a captain of Pavia, where he was captured along with the king. In 1536 he was again taken prisoner, this time in Provence by the troops of Emperor Charles V. François I named him grand equerry of France. Responsible for organizing the royal jousts so dear to Henri II, he was a skilled, subtle, and prudent courtier. His family at the Château d'Orion had an art collection which included paintings, drawings, books of hours.
This portrait shows Gouffier at the very end of his career as grand equerry.
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