Cherchez la femme: Elisabeth Braderic (c. 1405-52)

The late medieval Adornes residence and Jerusalem Chapel in Bruges stand as a vivid testament in stone to an illustrious family of patricians from fifteenth-century Bruges. While the lives of Pieter II Adornes and his son Anselm Adornes have been extensively documented, the latter’s mother, Elisabeth Braderic, has remained absent from the literature. Recently, a portrait identified as hers resurfaced and underwent technical examination. This article complements a thorough art-historical analysis of the portrait with a fresh investigation of primary archival sources. Elisabeth’s marriage contract, her husband’s will, and the distribution of her estate are explored here for the first time. By integrating insights from multiple disciplines, a fuller and more nuanced picture has now emerged of a pivotal figure in the Adornes family, clearly indicating both her financial input and her social prestige. Long overlooked due to the gender biases of historical research, Elisabeth Braderic can rightfully be regarded as the matriarch of the present-day Adornes estate.