Jooris van der Straeten (active c. 1552–1577)

• Known as Jorge de la Rúa in Spain and in France as Georges van der Straeten, was a Flemish portrait painter.
• He was originally from Ghent.
• It is believed he was a pupil of Frans Floris in Antwerp.
• He likely accompanied the future Spanish King Philip II when the travelled to England to marry the English Queen Mary I in 1554.
• After leaving England he worked in Portugal.
• Catherine of Austria, Queen of Portugal paid him in 1556 for a portrait of her grandson.
• In 1559, he was recorded in Spain, with a commission to paint a Resurrection of Lazarus for the church of Santiago de Cáceres.
• He was documented from 1560 to 1568 under the name Jorge de la Rúa as painter of Elisabeth of Valois, the Spanish queen consort.
• He was her portrait painter together with Alonso Sánchez Coello.
• The artist moved to France where he worked as a painter of Elisabeth of Austria, wife of Charles IX of France.
• The artist worked in France also for Catherine de' Medici.

• The artist made his testament in April 1577 while lying ill in bed in at a residence in Saint-Germain-des-Prés.

• He stated in his testament that he was a painter and valet de chambre of the French queen Louise of Lorraine.

• He further declared that he was the creditor of the queen and Nicholas Hilliard, painter to the English queen.

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