Portrait of an Unknown Woman

Joos van Cleve, one of the most successful Antwerp painters of the early sixteenth century, painted this portrait of an unknown woman around 1515. As dean of the Antwerp Guild of Saint Luke in 1519, Joos van Cleve ran a prolific workshop producing portraits and devotional works that blended the Bruges tradition with the more cosmopolitan style emerging in booming Antwerp. The oil medium allowed for rich tonal transitions and glazed layers of color that created luminous depth impossible with the older tempera technique.

The portrait shows Joos van Cleve's refined technique with smooth flesh modeling, careful rendering of costume fabrics, and the even lighting characteristic of his mature portrait style.