The portrait on the cover, exhibited at the marvellous Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid and entitled Portrait of an Infanta, is by the Flemish artist Juan de Flandes (ca. 1465? - 1519) and dates from around 1500. Queen Isabella the Catholic began to assemble an important art collection and Juan de Flandes was one of the artists who moved to the Castilian court to complete numerous commissions from the sovereign prior to his death in 1504, after also having worked at the Salamanca and Palencia cathedrals.
His style, which remained constant throughout his output, confirms his, connexion to the school of Bruges. Until recently, this portrait had been identified as Catherine of Aragon, Queen Isabella’s youngest daughter, who would become Queen of England and whom Shakespeare described as the “queen of earthly queens and model of feminine majesty”.
