Eleonore von Portugal (1434/1437-1467), Kaiserin

Eleonore of Portugal (1434–67), who became Holy Roman Empress through her marriage to Frederick III in 1452, was one of the most important women in 15th-century European politics. Burgkmair's portrait — if dating from near the time of her marriage or during Frederick III's reign — belongs to the tradition of imperial dynastic portraiture that Augsburg, as a key imperial city, had particular interest in preserving. The portrait type of three-quarter view against neutral ground was being standardized in the period, influenced by Netherlandish portraiture, and Burgkmair's version demonstrates his absorption of that mode alongside his German graphic tradition.

Imperial portraiture demands attention to the markers of rank: the quality of the empress's dress, the precision of her jewelry, and the dignity of her bearing within the constrained format of a three-quarter portrait. Burgkmair renders these with careful technical precision, using thin glazes to build the rich color of costly fabric.