This work is fiirst recorded in Queen Caroline's Dressing room at Kensington Palace in 1818. It would seem to belong in a group with six other portraits all first recorded in Kensington Palace in 1818 (RCIN 403916, 404349, 406141, 406152, 406160 & 406782), all inscribed in French with the sitter’s identity in gold capitals and apparently in the same script. The works are not of identical dimensions and are of very different quality, nor do their frames match. It would seem that they were brought together by an antiquarian collector (who was presumably French). They probably joined the Royal Collection through Queen Caroline, who also acquired a set of old English Kings and their relations (RCINs 402708, 402740, 403045, 404196, 404740, 404743-5, 404748-9).

Stephen Báthory (1533-86) was Hungarian nobleman who ruled Transylvania in the 1570s and was elected King of Poland in 1576. In this capacity he successfully competed with his Russia neighbours, lead by Ivan the Terrible (1530-84), in the Livonia War (1558-83). If this portrait is indeed part of the set with the French King, this would presumably be because Henry III was elected King of Poland before giving up this position as King of France in 1574. This is a crude copy of the head of the full length portrait of the sitter by Martin Kober, dated 1583 (Lithuanian Art Museum, Vilnius).

Inscribed: STEPHEN BATORY ROY DE POLOGNE