Virgin and Child

The Master of the Bruges Legend of St. Ursula is an anonymous Flemish painter active in the late fifteenth century, identified by a series of panels illustrating Ursula's legend. This Virgin and Child from around 1487, now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, demonstrates the workshop's characteristic blend of Flemish precision and Bruges commercial religious painting at a high level of technical achievement. The anonymous master convention was established by art historians to group works by a consistent hand when documentary names are absent; the St. Ursula designation reflects the most distinctive surviving series attributed to this painter.

The Flemish oil-on-panel technique allows extremely fine detail in rendering textiles, jewellery, and facial features. This master's characteristic manner includes meticulous delineation of drapery folds, the Virgin's veil rendered with almost lace-like precision.