The Privacy of a Court Painter: Michel Sittow and his Journeys to the Courts of Isabella of Castile, Christian II of Denmark, and Margaret of Austria

Abstract

The painter Michel Sittow worked for at least three courts: Castile,
Denmark, and the Habsburg’s Low Countries. His presence and, to
some extent, his status and activities are documented in scattered
indications in financial sources and inventories. Examining those
primary sources, this article pursues two lines of inquiry. Firstly, we
trace Sittow’s trajectory and the connection of his artworks to these
three periods of his life. Secondly, we deploy the painter’s case to
ponder material and immaterial courtly boundaries that would have
constituted different degrees and forms of privacy at court. Finally,
this dual examination shows that he may indeed have posed a threat
to the privacy of some of his royal employers.