Early Netherlandish/ Northern European Renaissance

This triptych is believed to be either a workshop of Campin (of which a young Rogier Van der Weyden was a part of) or painting by a follower of Campin. Another version of the center panel resides in Belgium which could be the original Campin piece. The center shows the moment just before the annunciation as Mary is still unaware of the angel Gabriel. Notable symbolism in this center panel includes: a small figure of Christ carrying a cross which symbolizes Mary's impregnation and the star pattern created in the folds and lighting in Mary's dress. The right panel is unusual because it is a picture of Joseph; he does not normally accompany paintings of the annunciation. The left panel is a painting of the donors of this triptych.

Believed to be the left wing of a triptych, this painting displays the angel Gabriel appearing before the virgin Mary. Symbolism including scenes from the Old Testament show the transition to the New Testament. Also, the windows transition from Romanesque at the top to Gothic at the bottom.

This half of a diptych is considered one of Van Eyck's best pieces. The background is a contemporary Gothic cathedral which is atypical of Van Eyck; he normally paints Romanesque cathedrals.

The woman in this painting is unknown however her fashion is similar to that of the Burgundian court. The contrast in light and dark help enhance the figure's Gothic beauty. Her lowered eyes, tightly grasped fingers, and fragile physique give her a very reserved and humble air.

Petrus Christus was a successor of Van Eyck and thus many of his paintings are modeled after his. He used similar jewel tones to those of Van Eyck and added better geometric and spatial techniques that had been filtering into Bruges from the Italian Renaissance.

One of Christus' last paintings, this portrait shows a stylistic advance in his work and in all portraiture. Instead of the standard monotone background of most portraits of the day, Christus has painted this girl in a three dimensional and realistic setting with a hazy shadow on the back wall. The girl's expression is not passive like most portraits of women but almost petulant or sly; accentuated by her unaligned eyes.

The Madonna and the child are depicted here in a walled in garden (possibly a reference to Mary's virginity) with Saint Barbara, Mary Magdalene, and Saint Catherine. The kneeling man is the man who commissioned the painting.

This painting depicts a passage from Revelations. The style shows Bruegel's devotion to the painter Hieronymous Bosch especially with the grotesque, half-monster fallen angels.

The title of the painting relates to the story in the Bible when King Herod ordered the slaughter of all the male children under the age of two. The scene depicted here however is the Spanish army attacking a small Dutch village during Spain's campaign to stop Protestantism in the area. This painting however has been doctored because the original owner considered it to be too violent and gruesome. Figures of murdered children have been faintly blotted our or turned into the figures of animals or sacks. A copy of this painting by Bruegel the Elder's son has survived and shows the full violence of this painting.