Tronende Maria met kind en twee engelen

An enthroned Madonna with Child and two angels represents one of the most traditional compositions in Netherlandish painting, and Metsys’s late version from around 1527 shows the aging master working within established conventions while bringing his distinctive synthesis of Northern precision and Italian softness. The flanking angels derive from a tradition stretching back through Hans Memling to Jan van Eyck’s Ghent Altarpiece. Metsys's religious paintings combine the Flemish tradition of meticulous naturalism with compositional ideas absorbed from Italian Renaissance models.

The symmetrical composition centers on the Madonna’s throne, with angels providing formal balance. Metsys’s handling of the drapery shows his characteristic combination of crisp folds and soft tonal gradations.