The Annunciation with the 1st duke of Alba

The Master of the Virgo inter Virgines was a Delft painter active in the 1470s to 1490s whose distinctive style — angular, emotionally intense, and somewhat provincial in its spatial construction — is recognisable across a group of panels connected by figure types and compositional approaches. This Annunciation with the first Duke of Alba from 1479 is unusual in including a Spanish noble patron's portrait alongside the sacred narrative, suggesting the picture was exported to Spain — possibly as a diplomatic gift or personal commission — where the Castilian duke who became the first Duke of Alba in 1472 had it customised to include his image. The Virgo inter Virgines master's work was part of the Delft school's export trade to the Iberian peninsula, a well-documented commercial and religious exchange.

The Master of the Virgo inter Virgines's style is characterised by angular drapery with the hard, radiating fold system of the northern Gothic tradition, figures with elongated necks and narrow features, and an emotional expressiveness that tends toward anxiety rather than serenity. The donor portrait — probably added with the patron's specific instructions — would have been rendered from a provided likeness or from descriptions, making it a more schematic than psychologically precise image.