Niccolò Albergati, a Carthusian monk in Bologna, became the Bishop of Bologna in 1417 and Cardinal in 1426. In 1431 Pope Martin V sent him to Burgundy to mediate between the English King and the French King and Duke of Burgundy. Jan van Eyck was commissioned by Philip le Bon to paint the portrait of the Cardinal. During the short stay of the Cardinal van Eyck made only a few sketches, he executed the portrait later.
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