Francisco Henriques facts for kids

Francisco Henriques (died 1518) was a talented Flemish painter from the Renaissance period. He worked in Portugal in the early 1500s.

Henriques was born in Amsterdam and studied painting in Bruges. He later moved to Portugal around 1500. Some people think he might have learned from another famous painter named Gerard David in Bruges.

Early Works in Portugal

Francisco Henriques' first big project in Portugal was likely the main altarpiece for Viseu Cathedral. An altarpiece is a work of art, often a painting or sculpture, placed behind the altar in a church. He led a workshop for this project, and a young Portuguese painter named Vasco Fernandes was part of his team.

Major Paintings and Projects

After Viseu, Henriques created a large polyptych for the main chapel of the Church of St Francis in Évora. A polyptych is an altarpiece made up of several painted panels joined together. He also painted altarpieces for the smaller chapels in the same church.

Today, you can find these beautiful paintings in different museums. Some are in the National Museum of Ancient Art in Lisbon, others in the Museum of Évora, and also in the Casa Museu dos Patudos in Alpiarça.

Later Life and Legacy

Francisco Henriques continued to work in Lisbon with another painter, Cristóvão de Figueiredo. Sadly, he passed away in 1518 during a plague outbreak. His work helped bring the Flemish painting style to Portugal during the Renaissance.