Life Michael Sittow

portrait of man sittow (c. 1510)

michel sittow became independent master between 1488 – 1491/92, although did not become master in local bruges guild. working portrait painter, travelled in southern europe, traits of french , italian art became apparent in work.

from 1492 sittow worked in toledo, spain isabella of castille court painter. isabella assembled academicians , painters several countries court. sittow became known melchior alemán ( german ) in court, although letters of emperor maximilian , margaret of austria speak of painter mychel flamenco ( michael fleming ), may have been michael sittow. sittow highest-paid painter in queen s court, receiving salary of 50,000 maravedis year (juan de flandes, second highest paid artist, received 20,000 maravedis). sittow collaborated juan de flandes on series of small panels of lives of christ , virgin queen.

officially sittow worked isabella until death in 1504, although had left spain 2 years before , presumably working in flanders queen s habsburg son-in-law philip handsome , daughter-in-law margaret of austria, painting portrait of philibert good, duke of savoy.

suggestions sittow may have visited london in 1503–05 paint portraits of henry vii (national portrait gallery, london) no longer accepted.

when philip died in 1506, sittow lost patron again. in same year, returned reval stepfather, glass-maker diderick van katwijk had seized parents houses, michael s mother had died in 1501. van katwijk had journeyed brabant in 1501 , offered property settlement sittow latter refused. local court did not support sittow s claim inheritance, had go court of higher instance in lübeck. won case in lübeck, not officially register parents houses property until death of stepfather in 1518.

in 1507 michael sittow joined guild of kanut (german: kanutigilde, estonian: kanuti gild), local painters guild , married in 1508. despite being renowned master in europe, sittow accepted journeyman , required paint masterpiece before becoming full master craftsman in guild. sittow completed various local orders , worked st. peter s church in siuntio, finland.

in 1515 sittow again in spain, time claim outstanding debts incurred isabella of castile, , significant in documentation claim referred pintor criado de madama la prinçesa doña margarita , painter of margaret of austria. seems case @ least year earlier. in 1514 sittow visited copenhagen, paint portrait of christian ii of denmark. portrait part of diplomacy betrothal of christian ii margaret s niece isabella of austria. portrait held in copenhagen s statens museum kunst copy of lost original or second copy ordered sittow.

portrait of noblewoman, possibly mary tudor c. 1514 or catherine of aragon c. 1500-05

the same year sittow painted portrait of mary tudor, today in vienna kunsthistorisches museum, part of betrothal negotiations marriage henry viii of england. portrait has been mis-identified catherine of aragon. 2 other sittow paintings of mary magdalen (detroit) , virgin mary (berlin) may use same model, or take portrait starting point – use of members of royal households models sacred figures found in court art in netherlands @ time. berlin virgin formed other half of diptych washington portrait of diego de guevara, spanish courtier habsburgs, otherwise best known giving arnolfini portrait archduchess margaret of austria, governor of spanish netherlands.

from netherlands, sittow returned spain , worked ferdinand ii of aragon, followed in 1516 spanish king carlos i, future charles v, holy roman emperor. when charles v abdicated power took sittow s wooden sculpture of virgin , 3 paintings him retirement in monastery of yuste. possible sittow travelled spain in attempt recover unpaid salary queen isabel of castille.

in 1516 (possibly 1517 or 1518) michael sittow returned reval. in 1518, married dorothie, daughter of merchant named allunsze. son michel died shortly after birth. in 1523, sittow became aldermann (guild-master) of guild of kanut. michael sittow died of plague in reval between 20 december 1525 , 20 january 1526. buried in cemetery of almshouse of church of holy spirit (estonian: pühavaimu kirik).