Margaret, Duchess of Parma

Margaret, Duchess of Parma (15221586), an extraordinarily fascinating figure, has slipped through the cracks of history until recently. As the illegitimate daughter of Charles V, she had a rather unusual start in life. In time, however, Margaret became one of the most powerful women in Italy, attracting a lot of attention. In 1559, she was appointed governor-general of the Netherlands. She was also a keen art lover and patron of the arts. This book takes a closer look at the life of Margaret of Parma and the sumptuous court where she lived as a woman-in-power, with all the pomp and circumstance that involved, via fashion, art, music, festivities and the elite pursuit of hunting. It also examines the dangerous political atmosphere of the Low Countries at the time, with the Iconoclasm, the Dutch Revolt, the arrival of the Duke of Alba and the Eighty Years War. The beautiful drawings from the Brussels Album (155556) bring Margarets wondrous world to life in an exceptional way. As do more than a hundred artworks portraits, paintings and luxury objects from the sixteenth century.