D. Catarina of Austria, Queen of Portugal

This painting represent Catarina of Austria, Queen of Portugal (1507-1578), daugther of Filipe and Joana of Castela, and sister of Emperor Carlos V. The Queen is represented half body and at three quarters, on a dark background with a facial expression of austere posture. Catarina of Austria is represented richly dressed, with a dress of black velvet, embroidered in golf thread, with a coif of her head a tiara of pearls and gold and pearls earrings. This royal portraid correspond to the usual models originally defined by portraits by the Master António Moro (Prado Museum, Madrid) who, in 1552 came to Portugal to create a oficial image of the Portuguese Sovereings, prototype portraits from each replicas were made when necessary for political or diplomatic proposes. Cristóvão Lopes, sun of Gregório Lopes and his sucessor in charge of royal paintings from 1550, is the most indicated as the author of the referred replicas (there is another portrait of King John III) of Antonio Moro´s portraits by Portuguese Historiography. enabling him to have been the author of these portraits, even though authorship is not of great relevance in this case given the way the painter had to make na effort to reproduce the model of António Moro.