Biography

Juan de Flandes was a painter active in Castile in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. The few available records concerning his life are related to his presence in Castile, documented between 1496 and 1519. There is no evidence of his birthplace or his training; some researchers argue that he was born in Ghent (Winkler, 1924; Vandevivere, 1967), while others suggest Bruges (Weniger, 1924). From the outset, he is recorded in Castile as "Juan de Flandes," a name that has led to the assumption that he originated from the Low Countries; however, this cannot be definitively confirmed. His reasons for traveling to Castile are also unknown, though it is documented that by 1496 he was working for Isabella I of Castile (1451–1504). The queen did not initially appoint Juan de Flandes as a court painter; nevertheless, she must have been pleased with his work, as in 1498, she increased his salary to thirty thousand maravedís (Silva Maroto, 2006). It is likely that he resided in Burgos for a period, undertaking commissions for the queen, such as the Ecce Homo of the Charterhouse of Miraflores. After the queen's death, he distanced himself from the court and moved to Salamanca, where he is documented around 1508. A year later, he relocated to Palencia—working on the main altarpiece of the cathedral—possibly seeking to enter the service of a prominent figure of the time (San Martín Payo, 1953). Numerous works attributed to Juan de Flandes are present in museums and collections. Notable examples include: The Resurrection of Lazarus(Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid), The Birth and Naming of John the Baptist(The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland), and The Executioner Presenting the Head of John the Baptist (Musée d'art et d'histoire, Geneva).

Bibliography

• SAN MARTÍN PAYO, Jesús (1953): "El retablo mayor de la Catedral de Palencia. Nuevos datos", nº 10, Publicaciones de la Institución Tello Téllez de Meneses.
• SILVA MAROTO, Pilar (2006): Juan de Flandes, Caja Duero, Salamanca.
• VANDEVIVERE, Ignace (1985): Juan de Flandes, Europalia, Brujas.
• WENIGER, Matthias (2011): Sittow, Morros, Juan de Flandes. Drei Maler Aus Dem Norden Am Hof Isabellas von Kastilien, Ludwig, Kiel.
• WINKLER, Friedrich (1924): Die altniederländische Malerei. Die Malerei in Belgien und Holland von 1400-1600, Bln., Propyläen, Berlín.