Scholars attribute to the School of Fontainebleau…

Scholars attribute to the School of Fontainebleau “Diana the Huntress,” a painting executed around 1550 by an unknown artist and thought to be a portrait of Diane de Poitiers, Henry’s influential mistress.

Diane possesses a sharp intellect and is so politically astute that the king trusts her to write many of his official letters, and even to sign them jointly with the one name HenriDiane.

Her confident maturity and loyalty to Henry makes her his most dependable ally in the court.

Her position in the Court of the King is such that when Pope Paul III sent the new Queen Catherine the "Golden Rose", he did not forget to present the royal mistress Diane with a pearl necklace.

Within a very short stretch of time, she had begun to wield considerable power within the realm, in 1548 receiving the prestigious title of Duchess of Valentinois.