Kreuzigungsaltar

1435–1464 · Lieu de travail

Brussels

1435–1464

Portraitist of the Burgundian court

In Brussels he painted portraits of Duke Philip the Good, his son Charles the Bold and his illegitimate son Anthony of Burgundy, Philip I de Croÿ (1460) and Laurent Froimont; there is ample evidence of his prosperity and of the special patronage of the Burgundian court at the height of its power.

2 March 1436

Painter to the town of Brussels

From 2 March 1436 he held the prestigious title of “painter to the town of Brussels” (stadsschilder): the post was created especially for him, was meant to lapse on his death and was tied to a huge commission — four justice scenes for the “Golden Chamber” of the town hall.

1450

Italy, 1450: humanists and the older masters

In the Catholic jubilee year of 1450 he visited Rome, Ferrara and Florence: Italian humanist scholars welcomed him warmly, while he himself studied the painting of the older masters — Fra Angelico and Gentile da Fabriano.

1450–1455

Travel: Italy

1450–1460

Commissions from the Medici and the d’Este

The Italian princely houses of Medici and d’Este commissioned works from him: a “Madonna” (now in the Uffizi) and the well-known portrait of Francesco d’Este (1460, now in New York’s Metropolitan Museum).