Triptych of Incarnation

Joos van Cleve created this Triptych of Incarnation around 1510 for the Sacred Art Museum of Funchal in Madeira. The Portuguese Atlantic islands were important patrons of Flemish art, importing works through Antwerp's international market to furnish newly built churches in the prosperous sugar-producing colonies. The tempera medium required careful preparation on a gessoed panel and a disciplined layering technique that produced precise, durable surfaces suited to the intricate detail expected of devotional painting.

The triptych demonstrates Joos van Cleve's polished Antwerp workshop technique with luminous color and precise detail, created for the international export market that linked Antwerp to Portugal's Atlantic territories.