Ask the Scholar

Hugo van der Goes (active ca. 1440-1482) was one of the major portraitists of 15th-century Europe, at a time when portraiture gained importance under the impact of the new individualism fostered by humanism. A common type of portrait was the depiction of a man or woman in prayer, experiencing a vision, often of the Virgin. This small panel, cut down slightly at the top and bottom, was originally the right wing of a small altarpiece made of only two paintings, known as a diptych. The subject of the left wing would have been the Virgin and Child. It is to them that Saint John directs the praying donor's devotion. This unidentified donor (the person who donated or commissioned the work of art) is shown completely absorbed in the vision of the Virgin and Child. During this period, it was thought inappropriate to show strong emotion in public, but Hugo was very sensitive to the most subtle facial expression that give clues to a person's mental state. The man's deep concentration is wonderfully captured in his raised eyebrow and contracted muscles around the mouth.