Joos Van Cleve

Joos van Cleve was a celebrated painter of the Northern Renaissance, renowned for his refined portraits and devotional works that united the meticulous realism of Netherlandish painting with the emerging ideals of the Italian Renaissance. Active in Antwerp from around 1511 until his death, he ran a successful workshop within the city, producing pieces for an international clientele that included merchants, nobility and European royalty.

Born around 1485 as Joos van der Beke, he likely became known as Joos van Cleve after his presumed birthplace of Cleves (Kleve), in present-day Germany. In 1511 he was admitted to Antwerp's Guild of Saint Luke, reflecting his prominence within the city's thriving artistic community. Though there is limited documentation on the artist’s life, he is believed to have travelled to the French court, where he executed portraits for King Francis I.

Van Cleve's paintings are distinguished by their elaborate detail and luminous compositions, with his altarpieces being particularly renowned for their vivid use of colour. Works such as The Madonna of the Cherries (c. 1525) suggest the influence of Leonardo da Vinci and contemporary Italian art, though Van Cleve’s style remained firmly rooted in the precise observation and technical brilliance of Flemish painting. Equally accomplished as a portraitist and religious painter, he frequently revisited successful compositions through his workshop, satisfying the growing demand for images of the Virgin and Child, the Holy Family and Christ as Salvator Mundi. The artist died around 1540/1.

Van Cleve’s combination of Northern technical refinement and Italian-inspired elegance made him an importrant figure in early 16th-century Antwerp painting. Today, his masterpiece The Death of the Virgin (1520–1525) is housed in Alte Pinakothek in Munich, while London's National Gallery holds The Holy Family (c. 1525) by the workshop of Van Cleve.

JOOS VAN CLEVE (?CLEVE 1485-1540 ANTWERP)

Portrait of a gentleman holding gloves, half-length

JOOS VAN CLEVE (KLEEF 1485-1540 ANTWERP)

Portrait of a bearded man, bust-length

Joos van Cleve (?Cleve ?-1540/1 Antwerp)

Portrait of a young nobleman, small half-length, in a crimson doublet, wearing a plumed beret, holding a daisy

JOOS VAN CLEVE (KLEEF 1485-1540 ANTWERP)

Portrait of King Christian II of Denmark (1481-1559), small half-length, in a slashed doublet, wearing the Order of the Golden Fleece

Workshop of Joos van Cleve (?Cleve c. 1485-1540/1 Antwerp)

The Lamentation

CIRCLE OF JOOS VAN CLEVE (?CLEVE ?-1540/1 ANTWERP)

The wings of a triptych: Saint Catherine of Alexandria; and Saint Mary Magdalene

WORKSHOP OF JOOS VAN CLEVE (KLEEF 1485-1540 ANTWERP)

Portrait of a gentleman, bust-length, wearing a slashed black doublet, a black cloak lined with brown fur and a black cap

WORKSHOP OF JOOS VAN CLEVE (?CLEVE 1485-1540 ANTWERP)

The Holy Family

Circle of Joos van Cleve (?Cleve-1540/1 Antwerp)

Portrait of a gentleman, bust-length, in a black coat

Follower of Joos van Cleve, c. 1540-45

Madonna and Child with a rosary, seated before a landscape with The Flight to Egypt, a ledge with a roll of bread, a tin plate with strawberries, various nuts and a glass in the foreground

Workshop of Joos van Cleve (?Cleve ?-1540/1 Antwerp)

Salvator Mundi

FOLLOWER OF JOOS VAN CLEVE

The Madonna of the Cherries

CIRCLE OF JOOS VAN CLEVE (?CLEVE C. 1485-1540/1 ANTWERP)

Portrait of King Francis I of France, bust-length

Follower of Joos van Cleve

The Holy Virgin and Child

Circle of Joos van Cleve (?Cleve c. 1485-1540/1 Antwerp)

An Allegory of Death

Circle of Joos van Cleve (?Cleve ?-1540/1 Antwerp)

The Virgin and Child

CIRCLE OF JOOS VAN CLEVE (CLEVES C. 1485-1540 ANTWERP)

The Holy Family

Follower of Joos van Cleve (Cleve 1485-1540/41 Antwerp)

The Crucifixion

Follower of Joos van Cleve

The Holy Family

Flemish School, c. 1520

A triptych: Noli me tangere, The Crucifixion and The Entombment

FOLLOWER OF JOOS VAN CLEVE

The Penitent Saint Jerome in his study

FOLLOWER OF JOOS VAN CLEVE

The Madonna of the Cherries

Antwerp School, c. 1530

The Virgin Lactans with Joseph and four Angels

After Joos van Cleve

The Virgin and Child

ÉCOLE FLAMANDE DU XVIe SIÈCLE, ENTOURAGE DE JOOS VAN CLEVE

Allégorie de la Mort

Follower of Joos van Cleve

The Virgin and Child

Follower of Joos van Cleve

The Virgin and Child

Manner of Joos van Cleve

The Virgin and Child

Circle of Joos van Cleve (c. 1485-1540/1 Antwerp)

The Infant Christ, seated on a red velvet cushion, eating grapes

CIRCLE OF JOOS VAN CLEVE (KLEEF 1485-1540 ANTWERP)

An allegory of death