GONÇALVES, Nuño. — He is the greatest Portuguese painter of the 15th century. Francisco de Holanda proclaimed him one of the greatest masters of all time and recalled his paintings in the chapel of St. Vincent in the cathedral of Lisbon.
No signed or documented work by him exists, yet a panel attributed to him, found in the convent of St. Vincent Outside in Lisbon and now in the city museum, is truly among the most beautiful paintings of the Iberian Peninsula in the 15th century. The panel depicts a saint not easily identifiable, venerated by the royal family and a large group of figures. The painter’s stylistic foundation undoubtedly lies in the taste of Flemish painting, for its incisive sharpness of line and strong characterization of types, but it cannot be ruled out that he was also influenced—especially in composition—by the manner of French tapestry weavers of the 14th and 15th centuries.