The Holy Family (Ghent)

Joos van Cleve painted this Holy Family around 1520 for the Museum of Fine Arts Ghent, one of his accomplished devotional compositions. The intimate scale and tender subject of the Holy Family made it one of the most popular devotional formats in Antwerp painting. Joos van Cleve was a leading Antwerp painter who synthesized Flemish panel painting tradition with Italian Renaissance influence, making him one of the most sought-after Netherlandish masters of his generation.

The panel shows Joos van Cleve's refined technique with warm color, smooth modeling, and the tender domestic mood characteristic of his most successful devotional compositions.