Cultural Crossroads. As part of this collaboration, a series of study days has been organized since to stimulate and disseminate research conducted in this field. The first and second study days Brussels; Madrid focused on, respectively, painting and tapestry. The period of the 15thth centuries witnessed a significant increase in contacts and exchanges between the Southern Netherlands and Spain. These exchanges, facilitated by trade routes and strengthened by close dynastic ties as evidenced, e.
The Spanish interest in Flemish art was stimulated particularly by the unique craftsmanship and identity of the Flemish artistic production, making it a symbol of high quality that seduced patrons in search of prestigious works. One of the consequences of this fascination for all things Flemish was the massive importation of sculptures from the southern Netherlands.
Brabant altarpieces, for example, were particularly prized for private chapels and churches in Spain, as they demonstrate an exceptional mastery of detail. These monumental works integrated harmoniously into local architectural settings, while sometimes adapting their style to suit local tastes.
Alongside these largescale works, small polychrome statuettes produced among other places in Mechelen responded to a demand for more intimate devotional objects, highly prized by the Spanish elite. Flemish funerary monuments, such as those produced by Egas Cueman for the monastery of Guadalupe, display an innovative combination of Flemish techniques and iconography with local artistic trends.
Many Flemish sculptors settled in the Iberian Peninsula, attracted by prestigious commissions and unprecedented opportunities. Some of them, like Hannequin and Egas Cueman at the end of the 15th century, chose to develop their careers in Castile, forming in the process important Flemish artistic dynasties on Spanish territories and leaving a significant mark on Spanish sculptural production.
