Tripytych with the Lamentation 1524

Joos van Cleve made this oil on panel triptych around 1524 in Antwerp, an important commercial center in the Low Countries. The scene depicts Christ’s body being prepared for burial. But this is no straightforward devotional image. Van Cleve inserts the scene into a detailed, contemporary landscape. He includes donor portraits on the wings of the triptych, figures who paid for the painting and are shown witnessing the biblical event. The composition suggests the influence of the Italian Renaissance. The Antwerp school was known for its blending of Flemish and Italian styles. Wealthy patrons funded religious art for display in churches or private chapels, to demonstrate their piety and social standing. Art historians consult period documents, donor records, and religious treatises to fully understand the cultural forces shaping this kind of art. Joos van Cleve’s Lamentation Triptych offers a window into the complex relationship between art, religion, and commerce in the early 16th century.