643. STUDIO OF JOOS VAN CLEVE (c.1485-c.1540). "NURSING MADONNA". (Virgo Lactans), CIRCA 1510-1530.

Lot description

Oil on wood.
Attached study by CAEM. 23.6 x 19 cm. Thanks to the extensive study by CAEM (Centre for Modern Art) the work which we have the pleasure of presenting has been dated to 1510 -1520 and definitively attributed to the studio of Joos Van Cleve. It is a copy of one of his works “The Nursing Madonna”, a frequently represented image due to the popular demand for this subject. After technical analysis and restoration, CAEM has discovered certain elements which even further attest to the authorship of Joos Van Cleve, such as the virgin’s fur sleeve, or the original sketch on underlying layers. A Flemish painter from a famous artist family, JOOS VAN CLEVE, rose to considerable fame amongst the Antwerp painters of the early C16th, becoming popular for his magnificent portraits and religious themed work, characterised by its fluid technic and imposing colour. In 1511 he established himself in Antwerp, probably having previously spent several years in Bruges. During that time he collaborated on more than one occasion with the landscape artist Joachim Patinir, which was significant in his integration into the circle of Antwerp painters, where he came to occupy important positions. Before being recognised by his own real name, he was known as The Master of the Death of The Virgin, for two such works attributed to him. (Munich and Cologne). In around 1516 he established his own studio where many artists, such as close family members including his two sons, Jozijne y Cornelis van Cleve worked, and even artist friends like Claas van Brugge who had just established their own studios. Shortly after 1530, he worked for the French Court, where he made portraits of Francis I and his wife Leonor of Portugal. Around 1536, he painted the King of England, Henry VIII. The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid, Spain has two of his works: a self portrait painted in around 1519 and a “Child of the Passion” on a globe of the world, around 1530.