Probably the '...table with the picture of the frenche [sic] king' listed in the 1547 inventory of Henry VIII, this portrait is similar in size and format to RCIN 403368. If it is the painting identified in Henry VIII's inventory, it would probably have been given to him as a diplomatic gift from the French. The exchange of portraits was a common means of conveying status and power in 16th-century Europe. Francis I is depicted gesturing with his right hand and holding the pommel of a dagger in his left hand. He wears a black hat with a white feather, jewels and a badge adorned with the image of a woman (possibly Lucretia). His dark red doublet is slashed (in accordance with contemporary fashion) to reveal a white shirt beneath. His black outer garment is richly decorated with pearls, gold thread and fur. The Flemish artist, Joos van Cleve, worked at the French court around 1529-35. This portrait was probably created by a member of his workshop.