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Do you know this woman?
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No. 24Middle Ages
Painted banner on a dark ground: a young woman with long hair in a gold brocade dress with an ermine hem stretches out her hand to a large crowned, rearing lion.Late Gothic Flemish

Agnes van den Bossche

c. 1435–1440 – after 1504 · Flanders (today Belgium)

Painted flags for the city of Ghent. One may still survive.

War banner with the Maid of Ghent and the lion, Late 1400s. Agnes van den Bossche. Photo: Art in Flanders (meemoo). Public domain · Source: Wikimedia Commons

Painting · Textile

Agnes van den Bossche

c. 1435–1440 – after 1504 · Flanders (today Belgium)

A painter from a family of Ghent painters who became a free master of the city's painters' guild — something very few women did. The city accounts show her painting many flags and decorative textiles for Ghent's government.

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Fact file

Born
c. 1435–1440
Died
after 1504
Country
Flanders (today Belgium)
Era
Middle Ages
Style
Late Gothic Flemish
Disciplines
Painting, Textile
Key work
War banner with the Maid of Ghent and the lion (Late 1400s)
Medium
Paint on linen, painted on both sides
Where to see it
STAM – Ghent City Museum, Belgium

Curiosity!

Documented

The lion on the banner was originally silver. Only microscopic traces of the silver leaf are left.

What we know (and what we don’t)

  • Documented

    Ghent's city accounts record many flags and decorative textiles she painted for the city.

  • It is believed

    This war banner is believed to be hers, but a detailed study found no conclusive proof. If it is, it is her only known surviving work.

  • Not certain

    Her birth is estimated at around 1435–1440; she was still alive on 15 August 1504.

Where to see her

On view right now

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Museums that own her work

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Exhibition list last checked 25 Oct 2026.