The Master of Meticulous Detail: The Life of Michel Sittow In the grand tapestry of the Northern Renaissance, few threads are as finely woven as those left by Michel Sittow, a painter whose brush captured not only the physical likeness of royalty but the very essence of the human soul. Known variously as Master Michiel or Michael Sittow, this master of the Early Netherlandish tradition emerged from the Baltic shores of Reval—modern-day Tallinn, Estonia—to become one of the most sought-after portraitists in the courts of Europe. His life was a journey of movement and prestige, spanning from t…