When we are lucky enough to gaze at paintings in the world’s finest collections we are often confounded by questions of how the artist created the masterpiece before our eyes. How long did it take the artist to complete this painting? Did the sitters for the portrait have to sit there for 6 months? Where did artists get their pigments, and materials? Could the artist paint what they wanted or were they always painting to the orders of demanding patrons? Did the artist work alone or have a workshop of eager apprentices? Focusing on the artists of the Northern Renaissance (15th to early 16th century) including Jan van Eyck, Hans Memling, and Dirk Bouts, this lecture answers these questions and more, taking the listener on a journey from inspiration and patron’s commissions to sketches and preparation through to the final work. Looking at issues including sourcing luxury materials to flattering a difficult patron, this lecture opens a window onto the relationship of artist, artwork and patron, and unlocks the secrets of many well-known paintings.