Marie de’ Medici 1575-1642, daughter of the Grand Duke of Tuscany, married Henry IV of France in 1600 and bore him many children, including Louis XIII (1601-43) and Henrietta Maria (1609-69), Charles I’s Queen. After Henry IV assassination in 1610 she ruled as regent to the young Louis XIII, until he asserted his own authority in 1617 driving her into exile. Though soon reconciled Marie de’ Medici lead a failed coup in 1630 against her son and his favourite, Cardinal Richelieu. This time her exile was more lasting, causing her to visit Brussels in 1631, Amsterdam and London (a guest of her daughter) in 1638. She died in Cologne.

This head and shoulders portrait is related to a portrait by Frans Pourbus, signed and dated 1616 (Art Institute of Chicago). It shows the Queen wearing a dress with tall lace collar and black head-dress; she wears a pearl necklace, pearl earrings, rope of pearls over shoulders and a jewelled cross at breast with three pendant pearls.