Jan van Scorel

Happy Birthday Jan van Scorel!! Born in 1495, the same year that Leonardo painted the Last Supper, van Scorel was a Dutch painter, born in the village Schoorl (hence his name Scorel). He was apprenticed to a painter as a child and was one of the first Dutch artists to travel to Italy. In fact introducing the High Renaissance to the Netherlands is attributed to him. While in Italy he was made curator of antiquities for the Vatican. When he returned to the Netherlands he was appointed an official of the Catholic Church of Utrecht, where he also established a workshop and continued to paint mostly altarpieces and portraits with the help of his assistants. Today I am including a unique portrait of Mary Magdalene.