The Monica Bird

coolchicksfromhistory:

This flag of the Maid of Ghent and a lion was painted by Agnes van den Bossche between 1481 and 1482.  Likely a military standard, the flag references a 1388 poem by Bouden van der Loore describing a conflict between the city of Ghent and Louis II of Flanders.  The maid represents the city of Ghent and the lion represents the people’s readiness to fight. 

Little is known of Agnes.  She was listed as a free master artist in 1468, one of the few women listed in the painters guild of Ghent.  Like many female painters during this period, Agnes’s father and brother were also painters.  She was frequently commissioned by the city of Ghent to paint flags and other decorative items.  Agnes received more commissions than her brother and was described by some as the most in demand flag painter of her day.  However, flag painting was less prestigious than alter painting and few women were accorded the honor of painting an alterpiece in the Northern Renaissance.