Bruges Master

This portrait of a man, his hands held in prayer, is painted with brilliant colors and fine detail. Although the subject’s identity is unknown, the shaved spot (tonsure) on the crown of his head indicates his participation in a Christian religious order. In its original setting, the work was probably hung so that his gaze was directed toward another image, most likely depicting the Virgin Mary. Together, these paintings emphasized intimacy with the divine and created a space in which devotion was perpetually reenacted.