Mary, Queen of Hungary (1505-1558)

Hans Krell was a German court portrait painter known particularly for his portraits of members of the Jagiellonian dynasty and the Polish-Lithuanian court. This portrait of Mary, Queen of Hungary, dated 1524 and held in the Bavarian State Painting Collections, depicts one of the most politically significant women in early sixteenth-century Europe — the sister of Emperor Charles V and future regent of the Habsburg Netherlands. Mary of Hungary (1505–1558) was a notably cultivated ruler and patron who later commissioned Titian among others. Krell's portrait is a significant early document of her appearance before she assumed her regency roles.

Krell presents the queen in a formal three-quarter portrait format with careful attention to court costume and the regalia of queenship. The German portrait tradition favours sharp physiognomic description and precise rendering of textile detail in a formally composed palette.