Overshadowed by the High Renaissance, the 15th century artists of the Lowlands were called "Flemish primitives." But the modern eye has adjusted to their light, and appreciates the full sophistication of their art. This quality is clearly visible in The Martyrdom of St. Hippolytus, a long-hidden work by an unknown Flemish master which went on view last week at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts (see opposite page). Preserved for many years in the seldom-used Paris house of a French banker, the yard-high triptych first reappeared in public at a 1962 auction. A Manhattan art syndicate bought it for $346,550, a huge...
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