Don Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd Duke of Alba

The painting was purchased by Don Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart, 17th Duke of Alba, in London, in 1942. He comes from a Huguenot family called Papillon.

The original Titian, lost, is known through an engraving by Iode that represents the Grand Duke in an almost identical attitude, but with an architectural background. The age that the character seems to be suggests that the original painting was made in Augsburg in 1550 when Charles V, Prince Philip, Don Fernando Álvarez de Toledo and the painter met there. The original painting was to be found in the royal collections and would be one of those mentioned in the inventories of the 16th and 17th centuries. It must have been burned in the fire of the Alcázar in Madrid in 1734. The copy by Rubens was made on the occasion of the painter from Antwerp's second trip to Spain (1628-1629) in accordance with Pacheco's explicit statement. Finally, it is mentioned with number 53 in the list of “Pourtraicts faicts aussy du dict M. Rubens d'Aprés Titien”, made after the artist's death. The canvas maintains undeniable stylistic relationships with Rubens, although the collaboration of assistants is likely. The lower quality version of this canvas is known to be kept at Christ Church College in Oxford.