In the late 14th century, Maelwael – a native of the city of Nijmegen – was active as a versatile, pioneering and productive artist in Western Europe during the Middle Ages. Having begun as a heraldic painter at the court of the Dukes of Guelders, he then worked for nearly twenty years in France in the service of Queen Isabelle of Bavaria and as a court painter and valet de chambre to the Burgundian dukes Philip the Bold and his successor, John the Fearless.
At the Burgundian court,
painted flags, banners and armour; he designed patterns for fabrics; he executed large religious paintings; he created refined miniatures in illuminated manuscripts; he decorated sculptures with gold-leaf and color and he painted small devotional pieces and portraits. Around 1400 Maelwael introduced his three talented nephews as miniature painters in France: the legendary Limbourg brothers Herman, Johan and Paul. (06.10.2017 - 07.01.2018) (Text: Rijksmuseum Amsterdam)