Portrait of Margareta of Austria

Bernard van Orley painted this Portrait of Margaret of Austria around 1518, another image of his primary court patron who had commissioned multiple portraits of herself from his workshop. Margaret of Austria governed the Habsburg Netherlands as regent for her nephew Charles V, and her multiple portrait commissions served both personal commemoration and diplomatic function—her image circulated to courts across Europe as evidence of the Habsburgs' political reach and cultural sophistication. Van Orley's portrait of the regent combines the formal requirements of court portraiture—the dignity of bearing, the precise recording of her status through dress and setting—with the psychological individuality that his close relationship with Margaret allowed. The portrait contributed to establishing the visual image of female political authority in the early sixteenth century.

The portrait combines the formal requirements of official court portraiture with van Orley's characteristic attention to costume detail and physiognomic accuracy. The rendering of the rich textiles and jewelry reflects the luxury of the Burgundian-Habsburg court.