PANTOJA DE LA CRUZ, Juan
(b. 1553, Valladolid, d. 1608, Madrid)

Portrait of a Lady of the Court of Philip III

1600-07
Oil on canvas, 98 x 71 cm
Private collection

Between 1600 and 1607 Pantoja painted sixty-six portraits of thirty-nine different members of the royal family as well as other members of the aristocracy. Although the identity of the sitter of the present portrait is unknown, she is most likely a member of the extended royal family, the wife of a courtier of Phillip III (1578-1621) or a lady-in-waiting to his wife, Margaret of Austria (1584-1611).