Frustrated Seeing: Scale, Visibility, and a Fifteenth‐Century Portuguese Royal Monument

The Founder's Chapel at the Monastery of Batalha, Portugal, was a remarkable microcosm of fifteenth-century European artistry. Commissioned by King João I, it featured contributions from renowned architects and stonemasons from France, Flanders, England, and Germany, alongside Portuguese artisans. The chapel once housed magnificent wall paintings and altarpieces, including a notable panel attributed to Rogier van der Weyden, though much of this decoration was lost in the nineteenth century. A significant surviving element is the polychromed limestone tomb of King João I and his wife Philippa of Lancaster, commissioned in 1426 and completed by 1434. This monument stands as a testament to the chapel's historical and artistic significance, reflecting the cultural exchange and craftsmanship of the period.

Barker, J. (2017). Frustrated Seeing: Scale, Visibility, and a Fifteenth‐Century Portuguese Royal Monument. Art History, 41(2), 220–245. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8365.12330