Forgotten Masters: Pieter Pourbus and Bruges. Painting from 1525 to 1625

In the early sixteenth century Bruges had a stable economic climate unlike the heady heyday of the fifteenth century. A small but wealthy elite continued to commission works of art but, in general, demand was falling, though the quality of what was produced remained high. Around the same time, a number of leading humanists congregated in the city. Erasmus called Bruges the 'Athens of the North'. The catalogue provides a sampling of Bruges' artistic production between 1525 and 1625, with works by Ambrosius Benson, Adriaen Isenbrant, Marcus Gerards, Lancelot Blondeel, Pieter and Frans Pourbus, and Pieter, Antonius and Gillis Claeissens. See more