The  Groeningemuseum is not to be found on the main tourist itineraries in Bruges but well worth the visit. It is a small collection mainly of art from this part of Flemish Belgium set in nine galleries. These rooms take you from the fourteenth century to the twentieth century. I must admit, however, to having concentrated my visit into the first two depicting the artists of the Northern Renaissance. 

Jan Van Eyk’s mastery of portraits in oil has never ceased to amaze me. In the fifteenth century, when the Italians were first discovering perspective and so called realistic painting the Dutch were creating masterpieces in oil of almost photographic quality. 

Van Eyk’s Madonna with Canon Van der Paele is not only one of the masterpieces of the museum but also in the canon of European art. This large painting shows the donor, van der Paele, with the Virgin and Child surrounded by the saints, George and Donatien. I have chosen it as my Painting of the Month to celebrate our returning to Europe this month. 

Not only is the painting of the faces exquisite but also the stunning portrayal of the saint’s garments. St Donatien is dressed in brightly coloured blue and gold vestments while St George is clad in metal armour. The Virgin is adorned with a sumptuous bordered red robe, while Van der Paele wears a white surplice. The scene is completed with tiled and carpeted floors and the architecture of the church of St Donatien, all completed in fine detail by Van Eyk. 

The painting was completed in around 1436 for Joris van der Paele, probably for his personal use as an altarpiece. He had been a Papal Legate in Rome before he returned to Bruges as a canon of St Donatien’s Church. His patron saint was St George which completes the collage. It was presented to the church on his death in 1443. 

The Museum contains many other paintings of the period, including the intimate portrait of his wife, Margaretha, by Van Eyk, in addition to altarpieces by Rogier van der Weyden, Hans Hemling and others. It is housed partly in a medieval Abbey of Eekhout and close to the  Gruuthers canal bridge. This collection has been a great start to our latest tour of Europe.