Tiziano Vecellio, called Titian (1485/90-1576) was commissioned by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, to paint a portrait of his late wife, Isabella of Portugal. The commission resulted in three paintings: a seated portrait of the Empress in a black gown with the imperial crown, now destroyed; a second portrait depicting her in a red and gold dress, seated near a window with a landscape beyond (Museo del Prado, Madrid; inv. no. P000415), and a double portrait of the royal couple, now lost, known through a copy by Rubens (Fundación Casa de Alba Collection, Madrid).

The present painting is modelled after the the first portrait, completed in 1545 and retouched by the artist three years later, at the request of the Emperor who was dissatisfied with his wife’s nose. Although the prime version was lost in a fire at the Palacio de El Pardo, Madrid, in 1604, we know the composition through an engraving by Pieter de Jode (1604-c. 1674), which itself follows a lost copy by Rubens.