Master of the Countess of Warwick (Arnold Derickson?) (active 1567–1569) (attributed to), Margaret of Austria (1522–1586), Duchess of Parma, 1570. Oil on panel, 63 x 49 cm. Acquired via the Thomas Kay Bequest, 1912; transferred from Heywood, 1974. Touchstones Rochdale (1228) © Rochdale Arts & Heritage Service

Margaret of Austria was the illegitimate daughter of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and half brother to Phillip II of Spain. She was married in 1536, aged 14 to the Duke of Florence, and again in 1538 to the third Duke of Parma after her first husband was murdered. The painting was originally attributed to Marcus Geeraerts (the Elder), a Flemish artist and engraver who painted portraits of many royal and wealthy individuals, however it was reattributed in the 1970s to the Master of the Countess of Warwick.