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While in the employ of Vincenzo Gonzaga, Duke of Mantua (1562-1612), Frans Pourbus was sent to numerous European courts performing the role of diplomat and cultural ambassador, assisting Gonzaga in forging political alliances and promoting the splendour of the Gonzaga court.
The present portrait, datable by costume and hairstyle to circa 1603-04, is most likely to have been painted while Pourbus was on a mission in Innsbruck or Graz, home to the Leopoldine line of the Habsburgs. As such, it may form part of the series of portraits Pourbus painted there.
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