The art trade between Flanders and Madeira Island in the 15th and 16th centuries – The contribution of dendrochronology to the history of Portuguese heritage

Abstract

Flemish paintings from the 15th and 16th centuries, now preserved in public and private collections on Madeira Island, provide unequivocal witness to the trade link that existed between Flanders and this Portuguese territory. This article focuses on a dendrochronological approach to date fifteen paintings from thirteen artworks ascribed to several Flemish artists working in the 15th and 16th century and currently exhibited in the Museum of Sacred Art of Funchal (Madeira Island). The dendrochronological results consolidate the historical and iconographic dates reported in the museum catalogue for fourteen paintings, also allowing a more precise dating of one of the studied artworks assigned to Joos van Cleeve's workshop. Furthermore, new knowledge has been added to the panel attributed to Marinus van Reymerswaelle, indicating that it was painted after the historical dating, in the painter's late years. This study has resulted in the construction of a new historical oak chronology for the Baltic region, covering the period 1157–1599 and based on chronological series acquired from several research studies of Portuguese and Flemish paintings carried out over the previous decades. The new chronology can be considered as a valuable new tool for future research into Portuguese and Flemish paintings, sculptures, and furniture from Portuguese cultural heritage collections.