A Man and A Woman (Campin)

Portrait of a Man, c. 1435. 40.7cm x 28.1cm

Portrait of a Woman, c. 1435. 40.6cm x 28.1cm

A Man and A Woman is the title sometimes used for a pair of oil and egg tempera on oak panel^[1] paintings attributed to the Early Netherlandish painter Robert Campin, completed c. 1435. Although usually considered pendants or companion pieces, they may also have been wings of a since dismantled diptych.^[2] The latter theory is supported by the fact that the reverse of both panels are marbled, indicating that they were not intended to be hung against a wall.

There has been considerable speculation as to the middle class sitters' identities. For a time in the early 19th century they were thought, on little evidence, to be of Quentin Matsys and his wife, later of Rogier van der Weyden and his wife.^[3] There is no historical record of the couple's identities, and no evidence (inscriptions, coats of arms etc.) on the paintings themselves.

Both were acquired in 1860 by the National Gallery, London, where they are hung alongside each other.