The Emperor (1500-1558) is represented with attributes alluding to his power: armor, the necklace of the Golden Fleece and a crossing sash. The armor has a low relief of the Virgin Mary carved on the chest, representing the armor Carlos V wore during the Battle of Mühlberg in 1547. The bust sits on a base carved from the same piece of marble and adorned with the mask of a satyr. It is also held by two small figures of a man and woman ending in fish tails. An oval cartouche in the center bears the inscription that presents the Emperor.

This sculpture is derived from the bronze model (E271) that the Leoni made of Carlos V himself, although the work is less meticulous here. The modeling is softer and the factions, less expressive. Those differences suggested a possible attribution to artists other than the Milanese Leoni family —perhaps other sculptors from Carrara.