Head and shoulders portait of Charles V as a boy turned half to the right, wearing a black hat, a blue doublet and a crimson outer garment; the order of the Golden Fleece hangs on a black ribbon.

Charles V was the elder son of Philip the Handsome and Joanna the Mad. He succeeded his father in 1506 as ruler of the Low Countries, and in 1516 he succeeded his maternal grandfather (Ferdinand) as ruler of Spain. In 1519 he succeeded his paternal grandfather (Maximilian) as Holy Roman Emperor (see also RCIN 403439). He was born in Ghent and brought up in Mechelen by his aunt Margaret of Austria. He is shown here as a prince, and he wears the emblem of the Order of the Golden Fleece. On the basis of the child's haircut and clothes, the portrait may be dated around 1510. 

The painting has recently been attributed to the workshop of the Flemish illuminator Gerard Horenbout, particularly in light of the similarities with Horenbout's miniatures in the Sforza Hours (British Library). 

The portrait was copied for Roger de Gaignières (1642-1715) and at that time was displayed in a dark frame decorated with the insignia of the Order of the Golden Fleece.