Portrait of a man holding bluebells before a landscape, half-length

The Master of 1518, variously identified as Jan van Dornicke and Jan Mertens II, was a leading painter in Antwerp during the early sixteenth century and an important exponent of the so-called ‘Antwerp Mannerist’ school. The artist's moniker, 'The Master of 1518', was first put forward by Max Friedländer, after the date inscribed on the painted wings of a carved wooden altarpiece of the Life of the Virgin in the Marienkirche, Lübeck. Over time a number of works have been grouped under this name. The present painting is the only independent portrait that can be securely attributed to the artist, whose work consists primarily of altarpieces.