Curatorial Notes
Joos van Cleve sold many versions of this painting to an international clientele eager for luxury goods. To suit the taste of his customers, Van Cleve learned to adapt the ideal forms of the Italian Renaissance to a Northern European context. Here, the poses and modeling of the intertwined children are indebted to the Italian painter Leonardo da Vinci, while the elaborate metalwork accents and costly materials comprising the architec- ture are characteristic of Northern European art. This particular painting includes the arms of its first owner— Pompejus Occo, the Amsterdam representative of the powerful German banking firm of Fugger—along the upper edge.
Artwork Identification
Title The Infants Jesus Christ and Saint John the Baptist Embracing
Title (PT) Os Meninos Jesus Cristo e São João Batista Abraçando
Title (ES) Los Niños Jesucristo y San Juan Bautista Abrazados
Artist Joos van Cleve
Artist Bio Joos van Cleve (Netherlandish, Active by 1507–1540/41) Workshop of Joos van Cleve (Netherlandish, Active by 1507–1540/41)
Date 1520–25
Work Type Painting
Location & Collection
Institution Art Institute of Chicago
Source View Museum Page
License Creative Commons Public Domain Mark 1.0
