Portrait of lady, possibly Anne de Pisseleu d'Heilly (1508-1580), Duchesse d'Étampes, bust-length

A label on the reverse of this painting identifies the sitter as Anne de Pisseleu d'Heilly, Duchesse d'Étampes, the mistress of Francis I, king of France. While this portrait as similarities with other depictions of Anne, the sitter's hair color and shape of her nose and chin here differ considerably from those in a portrait of Anne de Pisseleu attributed to Corneille de Lyon in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (inv. no. 29.100.197).

We are grateful to Dr. Alexandra Zvereva for confirming, on the basis of photographs, that she believes this work to have been produced in Corneille de Lyon’s studio (private communication, 8 November 2023).