mignons’ - or boyfriends - of French King Henry III 0f France

Attributed to Lucas de Heere (ca. 1534-84): ‘Triple Profile Portrait’, ca. 1570. This stunning and unusual portrait is not as it appears. The figures outfitted in fashionable costume are men. Adding to the intrigue, scholars have only recently attributed the work to Lucas de Heere, a Netherlandish painter who worked in Paris between 1559 and 1561, and in London after 1567. Research suggests that the sitters may, in fact, be the 'mignons’ - or boyfriends - of French King Henry III (1551-1589).