Cornelis Engebrechtsz. 1460/65 - 1527

With Newhouse Galleries, New York,
There purchased by the family of the present owner circa 1970.

The turbulent energy and exaggerated emotionalism of this composition, populated with small slender figures in contrapposto poses, dressed in elegant clothing, and painted in a colorful palette, became hallmark traits of the mature, Mannerist style of Cornelis Engebrechtsz.   As demonstrated in this delicate panel he favored warm colors and enameled glazes applied in many layers to create glistening surfaces. Costumes are fanciful and Engebrechtsz. enjoyed painting exaggerated draperies as a means to illustrate his refined technical skills.

One of the leading painters of sixteenth-century Leiden and the teacher and collaborator of Lucas van Leyden, Engebrechtsz. adapted some of the dramatic power of the Antwerp Mannerists to develop a uniquely expressive character in his work. 

Little is known of Engebrechtsz.'s training, and few of his early works survive. As Leiden's preeminent painter, Engebrechtsz. earned commissions from the town council and other important institutions, though he painted mainly biblical subjects.  His large, prolific workshop trained many leading painters, and Engebrechtsz.'s acclaim seems to have attracted students from outside Leiden. When these students brought to Leiden the Mannerist style then popular in Antwerp, Engebrechtsz. incorporated selected elements into his own art.