15th Century And Earlier

The people of Limburg are known as ‘true Burgundians’. We think of ourselves as loving fine dining, socialising, and large, lengthy celebrations. But how Burgundian is that really? Who were the Burgundians, who ruled over what we now call Limburg in the 15th century?

The unique exhibition Burgundians in Limburg allows you to take a step into the past. Let the distinctive music, beautiful objects and intriguing stories immerse you in the late Middle Ages. The exhibition focuses on three generations of Burgundians: the illustrious leaders Philip the Good, Charles the Bold and Mary the Rich.

Michel Sittow was born in Reval c. 1469, today the Estonian capital city of Tallinn. Possibly trained in the workshop of Hans Memling in Bruges, he subsequently moved to work in the Iberian Peninsula, where he first held the position of court painter. This monograph undertakes research on this phase of his career. In the Kingdom of Castille, Michel Sittow was appointed painter to Queen Isabella and became a member of her household with an impressive annual salary. Thanks to the analysis of archival documents and formal and iconographical studies on Sittow’s paintings, it is possible to explain the court painter’s life circumstances and describe the benefits he enjoyed and the difficulties he faced. The Castilian period was crucial for Michel Sittow’s career since over the course of his professional life, he also resided at the courts of Philip the Fair, Margaret of Austria, Christian II of Denmark and Charles V, all relatives of his first royal patron. While serving European monarchs, he transferred Memling’s techniques and visual language beyond the Low Countries and developed his artistic practice and style. The analysis of the various contexts Michel Sittow worked in sheds light on his oeuvre and his possible privileged status as a courtier, which provided opportunities to establish a flourishing and ambitious career in northern and southern Europe.

The two works were property of Farr Gallery, London in 1909. Then, the Bruges panel was transferred to Kleinberger Gallery, Paris by 1911, and entered the Groeningemuseum in 1912. There is no record of the Tokyo panel in the catalogue compiled by Kleinberger Gallery in 1911, and it appears that the two works were separated before that. The Tokyo panel was purchased by Matsukata Kōjirō at the beginning of the twentieth century and sent to Tokyo. Thereafter, via a private collection in Japan, it was acquired by the National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo in 2017.

On the occasion of the acquisition in 2017, the National Museum of Western Art conducted a survey of the panel, through which it was confirmed that the Tokyo panel and the Bruges panel once belonged to a larger ensemble such as an altarpiece. This exhibition was planned as a result of this rediscovery, and the two panels which went separate ways, one to Belgium and one to Japan, at the beginning of the twentieth century are to be “reunited” after more than a hundred years. The fruit of the surveys of the panels undertaken by the Groeningemuseum and the National Museum of Western Art from 2017 onward will also be reported through a display, lectures, and a collection of papers.

Discover a world of powerful desires and fluid identities in the art of the Middle Ages. Set in the stunning atmosphere of The Met Cloisters, Spectrum of Desire explores the often-overlooked themes of sexuality and gender in the medieval past, a period of time when most artistic production served religious purposes.

Desire in the Middle Ages was multifaceted. It could be courtly or carnal, sacred or subversive, and expressed as a kind of longing, suffering, or joy. Medieval artists could be both deeply serious and comical in their evocations of these feelings. Spectrum of Desire opens up new ways of seeing the past through stirring works of art that inspire us to think more expansively about people who lived in the Middle Ages, their relationships, and the artworks they produced.

The old master paintings we see today do not correspond to what the artist saw. Pictures change over time, often dramatically. This book unravels this phenomena for Jheronimus Bosch. It provides fundamentally new insights into the making of his paintings and into what has changed since then, which has significant consequences for their interpretation. This publication also compares how conservators deal with altered appearances. Strikingly, conservators determine how a painting can be seen and interpreted, by removing old ambiguities and by uncovering and unifying original elements. Even treatment of the reverse, the panel support, shows to impact the painted side. Contrary to common belief however, conservators do not restore pictures to their former glory. What does this mean for Bosch’s paintings?

The restoration, which took place between September 2025 and March 2025, brought in two specialists, one to handle the paint layer and another to tackle the gilding. As X-ray, infrared, and ultraviolet analysis showed, cracks and depressions had appeared across the work, possibly from candle heat while it was a church altarpiece. Furthermore, a century of dirt and an oxidized varnish had dulled the painting (see above image). The restorer, Elisa Mora Sánchez, cleaned the work, removed the old varnish, and filled in the gaps with plaster, before reapplying a new varnish. For the gilding, Mayte Camino Martín toned down the previous restorations of the gold sections before carefully reintroducing them with gold watercolor.

“All these elements make this Annunciation a fine example of Berruguete’s art,” the museum said. “A painter who was able to create his own style with direct knowledge of the main schools of his time.”

The exhibition showcases one of the most significant yet enigmatic figures of medieval Hungarian art, known as Master MS. At the heart of the monographic exhibition is Master MS’s most famous work: the former high altarpiece of Saint Catherine’s Church in Selmecbánya (now Banská Štiavnica, Slovakia). The seven surviving panel paintings of this monumental masterpiece of late medieval art have never before been brought together in a single exhibition.

The exhibition, where visitors can see nearly one hundred works of art, maps, models, goldsmith’s pieces and period documents. They will not only discover the artist’s known and newly attributed works, but also a comprehensive overview of his artistic milieu, the artistic regions that influenced his style, and the historical context of Hungary at the turn of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The curators even suggest a possible solution to one of the most interesting mysteries in Hungarian art history: who might be behind the MS monogram.The monographic exhibition, organised in conjunction with the Christian Museum of Esztergom and with contributions from over twenty lending institutions, will hopefully open a new chapter in the decades-long research into Master MS’s identity and art.

Christopher Baker, Committee member:

Dating from the early 1470s, this affecting devotional work, demonstrates the sophistication of Botticelli’s painting early in his career in Florence. Probably intended to inspire private prayer in a domestic setting, it is an image that has a wider resonance as it delicately explores the power of maternal love.

The cult of, or enthusiasm for Botticelli, of which it formed a part, had grown during the Victorian era and the painting arrived in Britain in 1904; it was acquired by Lady Wantage and entered the renowned Lloyd collection.

Further research on the placement of Botticelli’s work in his career and the organisation of his workshop, as well as links with the wider context of Florentine Renaissance art would all be of enormous benefit. In view of these intriguing possibilities every effort should be made to try and secure this beguiling painting for a British collection.