Petrus Christus: A Reconstructed Triptych with an Italian Motif

Abstract

In the literature on Petrus Christus, historians have often considered the possibility that he may have travelled to Italy.1 Support for the belief in such a trip usually has been based on the mention of a “Piero di Burges” working at the court of Milan in 1456,2 although this reference has not been identified positively with Petrus Christus. As additional proof for the journey, Germain Bazin points out that no less than eight of about twenty-five extant works by Christus were acquired in Italy and Spain or still remain there.3 Furthermore, as early as 1492 the inventory of the collection of Lorenzo de’ Medici lists “una tavoletta dipintovi di una testa di dama franzese cholorita a olio, opera di Pietro Cresti da Bruggia.”4 The aim of this study is to consider an Italian motif in a triptych by Christus, in an attempt to prove at least a definite Italian influence on the work if not an actual southern journey.