Bildnis einer Erzherzogin (Erzherzogin Helena oder Barbara?)

Arcimboldo's Bildnis einer Erzherzogin (Portrait of an Archduchess, possibly Helena or Barbara), painted in 1563 on panel and now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, is a departure from his composite allegorical series — a conventional court portrait of a Habsburg archduchess. The Kunsthistorisches Museum holds the greatest collection of Habsburg court art, and this portrait documents Arcimboldo's role as a conventional court portraitist alongside his more fantastical work. The possible sitters — Helena (1543–1574) or Barbara (1539–1572), daughters of Emperor Ferdinand I — were members of the inner circle of the Vienna court during Arcimboldo's early tenure there, which began in 1562. The conventional portrait format demonstrates that he was a capable and accomplished portraitist in the traditional manner before and alongside his development of the composite head series.

The panel technique demonstrates Arcimboldo's command of conventional court portrait practice before the composite experiments dominate his output. The archduchess is rendered with the smooth flesh modelling, careful attention to jewelled costume, and reserved aristocratic gaze typical of Habsburg court portraiture of the early 1560s, aligned with the Netherlandish-influenced portrait conventions established at the Vienna court.