AMORY: This is a portrait of Princess Margaret of Austria, painted by Jean Hey, an artist formerly known as the Master of Moulins.

AINSWORTH: She’s saying her private devotions, and as you can see in the painting she’s holding a quite remarkable rosary which is made up of huge, very precious pearls, and she’s pausing on what we call the Pater Noster bead, which is a large gold bead, as she says the prayer Our Father Who Art in Heaven. What is so notable about the painting is her attire and her jewelry. In fact, this beautiful red velvet dress with the ermine cuffs and her remarkable gold headdress with the black velvet is in an inventory of her belongings of 1493. Most importantly, on a separate list of her most valued possessions there is a description of this remarkable pendant which hangs from her necklace.

AMORY: At the age of eleven, Margaret was betrothed to the French prince who was later to become King Charles the Eighth. Look closely at the pendant. You’ll see a pelican piercing her breast to feed her young, symbolizing Christ’s sacrifice. This pelican is mounted on a fleur-de-lys—the stylized lily that was the symbol of the French crown.

AINSWORTH: It probably was a gift from Charles the Eighth to her at the time of their betrothal. And you can also see on the border of her collar, little initials C and M—they’re backwards on her proper right side, to our left, and they would have been right side around on the other side of her collar, and of course this also represents their eventual union, the C and M standing for Charles and Margaret. The painting was probably made when the two went off at a certain point to the area around Moulin, where the Master of Moulin was working for the French court, and may have met up with him at that point. A beautiful view into the French countryside in the background suggests this very location.