Born in 1584 and died in 1652, the Tenth Count of Benavente held important posts in the court of Felipe IV, including President of the Council of Italy and Governor of Extremadura during the war with Portugal. The tent in which he poses, and his sumptuous armor are references to that war.

The canvas has been cut down, so it may originally have been a full-length portrait like Titian's painting of Felipe II (P00411), which clearly influenced the present work, especially in the treatment of the armor. The Golden Fleece on the Count's chest makes it possible to date this work from between April 1648, when he received that honor, and November of the following year, when Velázquez left for Italy.

The fleur de lis in the lower right corner indicates that this work belonged to the collection of Queen Isabel de Farnesio, where it was attributed to Titian.