Portinari Triptych

Hugo van der Goes's Portinari Altarpiece, painted around 1475 and now in the Uffizi, Florence, is the most important Netherlandish painting in Italy. Commissioned by Tommaso Portinari, the Medici bank manager in Bruges, the monumental triptych was shipped to Florence where it caused a sensation. The still life of flowers in the central panel—an iris, columbine, and carnation—is the most celebrated botanical painting before the 17th century. The massive scale and emotional intensity were unprecedented in Netherlandish art.

Hugo achieves monumental scale with extraordinary surface detail, rendering the famous flower still-life with botanical precision while the large figures display the sharp, intense characterization and restless psychological energy that define his unique contribution to Netherlandish painting.