Simon Bening is the most celebrated Flemish manuscript illuminator. His work was sought by patrons in all parts of Europe. In old age he painted a self-portrait of himself seated at a steeply sloping desk beside a window, working on a miniature of the Virgin and Child. He holds his glasses in his left hand. The inscription at the bottom reads: Simon Bennik, the son of Alexander, painted this himself at the age of 75 in 1558.
|