Queen Isabella I of Spain, Queen of Castille (1451-1504)

This portrait is one of a pair portraying Isabella I of Castille and her husband, Ferdinand II of Aragon. The king and queen of Spain were the parents of Catherine of Aragon, the first wife of Henry VIII. In this portrait the queen holds a closed book in both hands, with the thumb of her right hand marking a page. The holding of a book, commonly a religious text, denotes the sitter’s piety. The painting was first recorded during the reign of Henry VIII.