GONÇALVES, NUNO. - He is the greatest Portuguese painter of the fifteenth century. Francisco de Olanda proclaimed him one of the greatest masters of all time and recalled paintings by him in the chapel of S. Vincenzo in the cathedral of Lisbon.
No signed or documented work by him exists; nevertheless, a polyptych discovered in the convent of S. Vincenzo di Fuori in Lisbon, now in the city museum, is designated by his name, and it may truly be regarded as among the finest paintings of the Iberian Peninsula in the fifteenth century. The polyptych depicts a saint not easily identifiable, adored by the royal family and by a large group of figures. The painter’s stylistic foundation must undoubtedly be sought in the taste of Flemish painting, because of the ruthless, incisive sharpness of the line and the strong characterization of types; yet it cannot be excluded that he was also influenced, especially in composition, by the manner adopted by French tapestry-makers of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.