The daughter of James I, Elizabeth Stuart married Frederick V, Elector Palatine, in 1613 and took up residence at Heidelberg Castle, where a magnificent garden was created for her. In 1619 Frederick was offered the throne of Bohemia, where the couple reigned until their defeat at the Battle of the White Mountain in 1620. The brevity of their reign earned them the nicknames 'Winter King' and 'Winter Queen'. The couple spent their remaining years in exile in the Dutch Republic, though Queen Elizabeth returned to England for the last year of her life. The Hanoverian claim to the throne (and that of all subsequent British monarchs) derives from the Act of Settlement of 1701, which named the Electress Sophia of Hanover (1630-1714), Elizabeth of Bohemia's youngest daughter, as the most direct Protestant heir to the throne.

This is a version of a composition attributed to Miereveld. The sitter holds a hankerchief in left hand; she wears a black dress with slashed sleeves, jewelled belt, jewel with heart at breast with pearls; white ruff and feather in her hair.