Top 10 Madeira (Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides)

* St Philip and St
James by Pieter
Coecke van Aelst
Here (above), the donors,
pictured kneeling on either
side of the central panel,
have been identified as
Simão Gonçalves de
Câmara, grandson of
Zarco, and his wife Isabel.
( St Anne and
St Joachim
This fascinating early
16th-century painting of
the Antwerp School (right)
is reputed to show King
Ladislaw III of Poland
(see p37) and his wife
Senhorina Eanes. Known
as Henry the German, the
king gave up his crown
and became a farmer on
Madeira in 1454.
% St James by
Dieric Bouts
This study of St James
was probably painted in
Bruges in the 1470s. The
saint’s gorgeous scarlet
cloak and the flower-filled
meadow in which he
stands are typical of
Flemish master Dieric
Bouts’ love of colour and
naturalistic detail.
) The Machico
Adoration
Rich in detail, this anonymous
painting of around
1518 from the church at
Machico (see p87) depicts
Madeiran merchants and
landowners in the guise
of the Three Kings, with
their servants.
Deposition by ^ Gerard David
The Virgin’s face shows
sadness and resignation
as her Son is taken down
from the Cross in the
central panel of this triptych
of 1518 (below). The
side panels depict the
donors – Simon Acciaiuoli,
a merchant from Florence
(with St Bernardino
of Siena), and his wife
Maria (with St James).
Annunciation by & Joost van Cleve
The fruits of Europe’s
expanding commercial
connections can be seen
in this serene painting of
around 1515: Mary’s feet
rest on an oriental carpet,
and the lilies symbolizing
her purity are
standing in a Delft jar.
Flemish Art
Madeiran art patrons
would probably not have
visited Antwerp or
Bruges to sit for their
portraits. Instead, they
might have sent a sketch
(perhaps drawn by one
of the island’s architects
or masons) or perhaps
relied on a friend to give
the artist an accurate
verbal description. In
any case, exact likeness
was not the artist’s aim.
Following the Mannerist
tendency, the painter of
the Machico Adoration
emphasizes distinctive
facial features – a large
nose or a double chin –
in order to give greater
character to his subjects.
Madeira’s Top 10 11