Wedding ball of the Duc de Joyeuse, 1581

Wedding ball of the Duke of Joyeuse, and Marguerite of Lorraine, in Paris on 24 September 1581. Joyeuse was the favourite of King Henry III of France, and Marguerite was the sister of Henry's wife, Queen Louise of Lorraine. The newlyweds are in the centre; to the left sits Henry III beside Catherine de' Medici and his wife, Queen Louise; behind them stand the dukes of Guise, d' Epernon, and Mayenne (this last may be the Dumain in Love’s Labour’s Lost), Such social events were a natural occasion for the display of artistic talent. Both Ronsard and Shakespeare figured in providing celebration and entertainment at court events. The painting has been attributed to Herman van der Mast (1581–1604). Picture and data courtesy of the Yorck Project, under Creative Commons Attribution-Share- Alike License (Wikipedia)