ARCHDUCHESS ELEONORE (1582-1620) AT THE AGE OF 5, HALF FIGURE
Dated 1587, attributed to: Ottavio Zanuoli (?)
Eleanor of Austria was born today in 1582… she had FOURTEEN brothers and sisters, and her parents were uncle and niece.
There are quite a few famous Eleanors of Austria. This one was Granddaughter of Emperor Ferdinand I. During her lifetime her brother became Holy Roman Emperor (ruler of huge territories in western and central Europe), King of Hungary AND King of Bohemia.
Being connected af did not help Eleanor overcome her Habsburg jaw (a heavy undershot jaw which arose from all her ancestors marrying each other), her ill-health or moody temper to procure a husband. She gave up on marriage in 1607 (after being rejected by Philip of Spain and several Italian princes) and became a nun.
She died in Austria on 28 January 1620 at the age of 37
By Frans Pourbus the Younger – Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, Bilddatenbank., Public Domain, Link