The meeting of Abram [Abraham] and Melchizedek, the high priest and king of Salem, who brings bread and wine (Genesis 14:18-20)

Dating to 1505, the portrait demonstrates the portrait tradition that Aelbrecht Bouts contributed to within the High Renaissance. Painted at the height of the High Renaissance, the work balances individual likeness with the idealized presentation expected by sixteenth-century patrons. The first decades of the sixteenth century saw Italian art reach a level of grandeur and idealization that contemporaries recognized as surpassing even the achievements of classical antiquity.

Tempera technique, reflecting earlier traditions, the portrait demonstrates Aelbrecht Bouts's command of skilled technique and careful observation. The careful modeling of the face reveals close study of the sitter's physiognomy, while the treatment of costume and setting projects appropriate social standing.