Other names

Biography

Michel Sittow was one of the most significant painters of the late 15th century. He hailed from Reval (modern-day Tallinn), where he was born around 1469. His mother was the daughter of a wealthy merchant, and his father was a painter, under whom he received his early training. He worked in the service of Isabella I of Castile from 1492 until the queen's death in 1504 (Rojewski, 2023). Sittow also produced works for Philip the Handsome, Margaret of Austria, Ferdinand II of Aragon, and Charles V. His oeuvre predominantly includes portraits and devotional paintings. Many of his works, several of which are attributed, are dispersed across various museums and collections. Examples include: Virgin and Child (Museo Lázaro Galdiano, Madrid); Ferdinand II (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna); and his contribution to the Polyptych of Isabella I of Castile.

Bibliography

• ROJEWSKI, Oskar Jacek (2023): "Pinturas de Michel Sittow realizadas en la Península Ibérica (1492-1502/1504)", nº 89, en BSAA, Arte, Universidad de Valladolid.