Title

Madonna and Child

painter

Joos Van Cleve (Cléveris, ca. 1485 - Antwerp, ca. 1540)

Generic classification

Object

Date

Century

Cultural context / style

Dimensions

Material

Technique

Iconography / Theme

Provenance

Current location

Inventory Number in Current Collection

Object history

According to Gaya Nuño (1964), this painting originates from Palencia, although the exact moment it left Spain is unknown. In the early 20th century, Stefan Auspitz, a banker based in Vienna, purchased numerous works of art to expand his collection, one of which was this panel by Joos van Cleve (Friedländer, 1931). However, Auspitz was forced to sell his collection in 1931 due to financial difficulties. It was acquired by an art dealer, Kurt Walter Bachstitz, who purchased it for $475,000. Bachstitz exhibited the collection at the Thomas Agnew & Sons gallery in London, where several works by Joos van Cleve, including this one, were displayed (Borenius, 1932). The painting later became part of the collection of the Cincinnati Institute of Fine Arts (1981), where it remains today.

Description

The Virgin is depicted holding the Christ Child, who wriggles and attempts to play with His mother as He rises from the cushion. In the painting, the influences that Joos van Cleve encountered throughout his career are evident: on the one hand, the impact of Gerard David and Memling can be seen in the facial features and the folds of the garments; on the other, there is a clear approach towards the Italian Renaissance in the treatment of the Child's body.

Locations

• ca. 1530 - Early XX^th c.

  province

  Palencia, Palencia (Spain)

• Early XX^th c. - ca. 1931

  private collection

  Herr Stefan von Auspitz Collection, Viena (Austria) *

• ca. 1931 - Mid XX^th c.

  dealer/antiquarian

  Kunsthandel K.W. Bachstitz, La Haya (Netherlands) *

• Mid XX^th c. - ca. 1981

  dealer/antiquarian

  Thomas Agnew & Sons, London (United Kingdom) *

• ca. 1981 - present

  museum

  Cincinnati Art Museum, Cincinnati (United States)