17th Century Follower of Antonis Mor, Portrait of Queen Mary I (1516-1558). Photo Sotheby's

oil on panel; 25.5 by 21.5 cm.; 10 by 8 1/2 in. Estimation 40,000-60,000 GBP. Lot vendu: 37,250 GBP

PROVENANCE: Anonymous sale, London, Sotheby's, 6 June 2007, lot 2, for £36,000.

NOTE DE CATALOGUE: This painting appears to derive from one of the three-quarter length portraits of the Queen painted by Mor in the mid1550s. These autograph portraits are in the Prado, Castle Ashby (Marquess of Northampton) and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston. According to van Mander, Mor was sent to England by the Emperor Charles V in order to paint Mary for her prospective bridegroom. The jewel at Mary's throat is probably that sent by Philip of Spain in 1554; 'A great diamond with a large pearl pendant, one of the most beautiful pieces ever seen in the world'

Sotheby's. Old Master & British Paintings Day Sale. Londres | 05 juil. 2012 www.sothebys.com