From 1460 To 1485

    Foppa was the founder of Renaissance painting in Milan, where he worked for the dukes.
    In addition to major fresco cycles and altarpieces, he also painted touching images of the Madonna and Child for private devotion.
    This one dates to about 1480 and shows the Madonna and Child before a rose hedge - the Madonna was sometimes referred to as the "rose without thorns" (that is, without sin).

Portrait of a Young Man

    This is the only surviving independent portrait by Cosmè Tura, the brilliant court artist at Ferrara.
    It shows an unidentified member of the ruling Este family.
    The small, narrow format would have enabled the picture to be slipped into a leather or parchment case and carried about.

Portrait of a Young Man

    One of the most sought-after Netherlandish portrait painters of his time, Memling's meticulous attention to detail is notable in the remarkable naturalism of the sitter's physiognomy and the texture of his velvet, fur-trimmed tunic.
    The young man was likely one of the many Florentine visitors to, or residents of, Bruges, several of whom commissioned portraits from the artist.
    It appears that shortly after it was painted, the panel was sent to Florence, where it provided inspiration to Italian artists, who deeply admired Netherlandish painting.