The Court Painter's Apprentice

The artists of 15th- and 16th-century Flanders have proved a popular topic in fiction for adults and younger readers. Hugo, a court artist of this period, whose creative abilities and reputation are just beginning to wane as his eyesight starts to fade, takes on a new apprentice. Johann is the illiterate son of an innkeeper, destined for the family business, but the prospect of him bettering his circumstances encourages his parents to let him leave and study with Hugo in Ghent. Johann’s rapid development as a portrait painter and visits to the royal court to help Hugo as he paints the Emperor, and his subsequent contract to paint the Emperor’s son, form much of the narrative. A twist is added as Johann’s uncanny ability to hint in his paintings as to the future of his subjects emerges more and more strongly. Johann is a young man – still a boy really – and his fame and growing wealth lead him to enjoy rough tavern company. But his nemesis arrives in the form of an alter ego that emerges from a self-portrait.

The Court Painter’s Apprentice, as well as providing an interesting read, will prove a very useful means of bringing another dimension to the study of art of its period. The novel will also appeal to older readers.