Flemish master; late 15th century.

Flemish master; late 15th century.
"Portrait of a lady".
Oil on oak panel.
Measurements: 30,5 x 21 cm.
This portrait of a lady, attributed to a Flemish master active towards the end of the 15th century, constitutes a remarkable example of the refined portrait tradition of Northern Europe during the late Gothic period. The composition presents a young woman with a serene face, depicted three-quarter length and slightly turned to the left, in a pose that denotes recollection and restraint, qualities associated with the feminine ideal of virtue and decorum at the time.
The figure stands out clearly against a green monochrome background, a frequent resource in Flemish portraiture of the period, which not only enhances the presence of the character, but also suggests a sober and timeless atmosphere. This type of background, devoid of anecdote or architectural context, refers to the interest of Flemish artists in focusing attention on the expression, gesture and individuality of the sitter.
The work has clear formal affinities with the painting of the master of the legend of St. Ursula, Flemish painter of the fifteenth century. It also shows similarities with some of Hans Memling's portraits, particularly with his Portrait of an Old Woman, although in this case the sitter is visibly younger. As in Memling's works, the treatment of the face shows a meticulous naturalistic observation, underlined by the precision in the modeling, the subtle tonal transition in the skin and the detailed study of the elements of the attire, such as the veil and the coif.
The technical quality of this painting is evident in the fine impasto, the softness of the chiaroscuro and the attention to detail in the fabrics and accessories, which reveals the high degree of specialization reached by the Flemish workshops at the end of the 15th century. This technical skill was not limited to formal virtuosity, but responded to a deep interest in capturing the interiority of the subject, which turns these portraits into documents of spiritual as well as social identity.
Flemish painting of this period played a crucial role in the evolution of portraiture as an autonomous genre in Europe. Its influence would spread throughout Christendom, thanks to the circulation of works and the reputation of its artists, being key in the formation of Renaissance visual sensibility. This portrait, therefore, not only stands out for its high pictorial quality, but also for its belonging to one of the most influential schools of Western art, whose legacy marked a turning point in the representation of the individual and in the construction of the personal image in the Modern Age.
The combination of the discovery of nature, objective observation, the study of the concrete, the appreciation of the everyday, the taste for the real and material, the sensitivity to the seemingly insignificant, made the Flemish artist commune with the reality of everyday life, without seeking any ideal alien to that same reality.