Portrait of Charles V

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Portrait of Charles V
Flemish School; ca. 1540-1560

Charles V (1500-1558), Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, is shown in front of a dark, olive-green background, in three-quarter right profile. He is still a youngish man, with a look of intelligence on his bearded face, with grey-blue eyes, a slightly curved nose, an enigmatic smile. He is clad in the rich, ruby-red velvet garments of a knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece