Helen Mirren, 76, exudes elegance in  glittering black dress as she attends glitzy awards ceremony in Florence

Helen Mirren looked sensational as she attended a screening of The Renaissance Awards in Florence, Italy on Monday.

The Oscar-winner, 76, wowed in a black sequinned dress with sheer sleeves as she mingled with Colin Firth's ex- wife Livia at the event.

She paired the outfit with simple black pumps and a black hairband, adding a touch of sparkle with silver earrings.

The star accessorised with a gold handbag and radiant make-up.  

The Renaissance Awards are the first global awards dedicated to the work of international young leaders on sustainability.   

Earlier this month the star looked sensational as she donned a monochrome trouser suit to walk in the L'Oréal Paris show at the city's Fashion Week.

The Queen actress looked chic in her attire as she teetered on a pair of chunky platform heels on the catwalk.

Her hair was tied back into a bun on top of her head to leave her heavy black eye make-up on show. 

The star wore a pair of large hoop earrings and struck a pose as she reached the end of the catwalk, looking every inch the professional model.

Dame Helen was spotted in the French capital a day prior as she headed for a fitting for the fashion event.

She could be seen wearing an elegant black dress with a red rose print as she headed into the building.

The screen star wore a beige raincoat over the top of her dress as she wrapped up warm against the cool autumn air.  

Dame Helen visited the Colorado earlier this month to promote her new film The Duke at the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado.

The flick, set for release in February next year, follows the story of a taxi driver, Kempton Bunton who steals Goya's painting of The Duke Of Wellington. 

Dame Helen transforms into dowdy cleaner Dorothy Bunton in a recent trailer of the newly-released film, where she stars alongside Jim Broadbent (who plays Kempton).  

Speaking about being part of The Duke, she said earlier this year: 'The whole story took me by surprise. You would want to take it with a pinch of salt if it wasn't all true.

'I loved the charm of the script; it was sweet and very endearing. I love the 1960s, it was a more naïve, innocent time.

'Dorothy is the practical one, which the woman so often is in the family; she is keeping the family going. Kempton is the dreamer, but he is very committed and courageous in many ways.

'We should not only take a leaf out of Kempton's book, but also Dorothy's - dreaming is all very well, but you still need to pay the bills! So, let's hear it for the practical people in life too.

'It's very important when playing an old married couple that the audience believe that relationship. With Jim, I slipped into the role of his wife very easily, there was no effort on my part.'