Updated October 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 22 works by Gillis Van Coninxloo in our catalogue
In short
Woodland with Saint Jerome (1583) is the Gillis Van Coninxloo painting that draws the most eyes; the original belongs to the Museum of Fine Arts Ghent (MSK), Ghent. After it, the eye goes to Jonah Preaching to the Ninevites (1583) and Landscape with the judgment of Midas (1598). Among the 22 works of Gillis Van Coninxloo in our catalog, these 21 are the most famous, each a unique original presented with its year, its museum and the reason it endures.
Woodland with Saint Jerome is an oil painting by Gillis Van Coninxloo. Created in 1583, the work places a solitary figure, likely Saint Jerome, within a dense thicket. He rests in the mid-ground, a quiet presence amidst the heavy growth of the trees.
Jonah Preaching to the Ninevites by Gillis Van Coninxloo depicts a specific biblical narrative. Created about 1583, the work illustrates the prophet Jonah delivering a message to the inhabitants of Nineveh. The scene focuses on the interaction between the central figure and the gathered crowd. This subject matter is intended to convey themes of repentance and awe through the varied gestures and facial expressions of the assembly.
In Landscape with the judgment of Midas, Gillis Van Coninxloo organizes a vast, panoramic world through a strict three-tier landscape structure. The viewer enters through a dark, densely wooded foreground where twisting branches and heavy foliage frame the view. This shadowed threshold pushes the eye toward the middle ground, where the mythological judgment of King Midas unfolds among scattered figures and architectural elements. The scale is expansive, a Mannerist arrangement…
Landscape with the Judgement of Paris is a large-scale, panoramic landscape painting by Gillis Van Coninxloo. Created about 1610, the work integrates a mythological narrative into an expansive natural setting. The scene focuses on the Judgement of Paris, situating the figures within a complex, multi-layered environment.
A dense, enveloping canopy of trees dominates this composition, framing a recessed view into the depths of a thick woodland. The scene is defined by an intricate network of organic lines, following the gnarled, twisting forms of trunks and the overlapping silhouettes of foliage. Sunlight filters through the heavy ceiling of leaves, creating a high-contrast environment where bright highlights on leaf edges meet deep, dark shadows within the forest floor.…
Undergrowth1597 · Musée Des Beaux
12
Forest Landscape1600 · Detroit Institute of Arts
13
Mountainous Landscape1600 · Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
14
Forest Landscape1598 · Liechtenstein Museum
15
Mountain Landscape with River Valley and the Prophet HoseaMuseum Mayer van den Bergh
16
Landscape with Venus and AdonisCleveland Museum of Art
17
Elias is fed by ravensRoyal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
18
Landscape with a scene of the Conversion of Saul
19
Landscape with a scene of the Conversion of Saul.
20
LandscapeMuseo del Prado
21
Landscape with Leto and Peasants of LykiaHermitage Museum
The four subjects that come back most often in these originals, each with its finest example.
The 8 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Gillis Van Coninxloo | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Statens Museum For Kunst |
Copenhagen | 2 | Jonah Preaching to the Ninevites, A River Landscape |
 Bavarian State Painting Collections |
Munich | 2 | Forest Landscape with the Expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael, Forest Landscape with Hagar and the Angel |
 Museum of Fine Arts Ghent (MSK) |
Ghent | 1 | Woodland with Saint Jerome |
 Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden |
Dresden | 1 | Landscape with the judgment of Midas |
 National Museum of Western Art |
Tokyo | 1 | Landscape with the Judgement of Paris |
 Kunsthistorisches Museum |
Vienna | 1 | Wooded landscape |
 Yekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts |
Yekaterinburg | 1 | Jesus and Zacchaeus |
 Musée Des Beaux |
Strasbourg | 1 | Undergrowth |
Pick a decade to see the original that defines it.
Woodland with Saint Jerome is an oil painting by Gillis Van Coninxloo. Created in 1583, the work places a solitary figure, likely Saint Jerome, within a dense thicket. He rests in the mid-ground, a quiet presence amidst the heavy growth of the trees.
In Landscape with the judgment of Midas, Gillis Van Coninxloo organizes a vast, panoramic world through a strict three-tier landscape structure. The viewer enters through a dark, densely wooded foreground where twisting branches and heavy foliage frame the view. This shadowed threshold pushes the eye toward the middle ground, where the mythological judgment of King Midas unfolds among scattered figures and architectural elements. The scale is expansive, a Mannerist arrangement…
A dense, enveloping canopy of trees dominates this composition, framing a recessed view into the depths of a thick woodland. The scene is defined by an intricate network of organic lines, following the gnarled, twisting forms of trunks and the overlapping silhouettes of foliage. Sunlight filters through the heavy ceiling of leaves, creating a high-contrast environment where bright highlights on leaf edges meet deep, dark shadows within the forest floor.…
Woodland with Saint Jerome (1583), Museum of Fine Arts Ghent (MSK), Ghent. Jonah Preaching to the Ninevites (1583) and Landscape with the judgment of Midas (1598) come next.
39 years old: Woodland with Saint Jerome dates from 1583, and Gillis Van Coninxloo was born in 1544.
Woodland with Saint Jerome, Jonah Preaching to the Ninevites, Landscape with the judgment of Midas, Landscape with the Judgement of Paris, Wooded landscape, Forest Landscape with the Expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael, Jesus and Zacchaeus, A River Landscape, Landscape with Jesus and his disciples on their way to Emmaüs (Luke 24:13-35) and Forest Landscape with Hagar and the Angel. The ranking above gives each one's year and museum.
Our catalog holds 22 works by Gillis Van Coninxloo, dated from 1574 to 1600.
Mostly in Statens Museum For Kunst (Copenhagen), Bavarian State Painting Collections (Munich) and Museum of Fine Arts Ghent (MSK) (Ghent). The museum table above lists them all.
In 1580s: 5 of the 21 works on this page were made then, Woodland with Saint Jerome among them.
On this page, the earliest is Forest Landscape with the Expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael (1574) and the latest Wooded landscape (1600).
Landscape (7), Figures (4) and Trees (3), across the 21 works on this page.
Oil On Panel, for 4 of the 21 works on this page.
Jonah Preaching to the Ninevites and A River Landscape: the Statens Museum For Kunst, Copenhagen holds 2 of the works on this page.
Gillis van Coninxloo stands as a pivotal figure in the evolution of Northern landscape art, serving as a vital bridge between the intricate Mannerist traditions and the burgeoning atmospheric depth of the early Baroque. Born in Antwerp, Belgium, his life was deeply intertwined with the rich artistic lineage of the Low Countries. The son of a painter, he was immersed in a world where craftsmanship and natural observation were paramount. His early training under masters such as Pieter Coecke van Aelst the Younger and Lenaert Kroes provided him with a rigorous foundation, but it was his time working in the workshop of Gillis Mostaert that truly allowed his talent to flourish, permitting him to contribute to professional works while honing his unique vision.
His journey was one of movement and expansion, reflecting the shifting political and cultural tides of the era. While his career found its roots in Antwerp, the latter portion of his life saw him traversing much of Europe, working in Germany and eventually settling in the Dutch Republic. This nomadic existence allowed his style to absorb various regional influences, ultimately contributing to a sophisticated development of the forest landscape. He became renowned for his ability to transform a mere depiction of woodland into a profound sensory experience, where the viewer is not merely looking at trees, but is invited to step into a living, breathing ecosystem.
The true brilliance of Coninxloo lies in his unparalleled mastery of the forest landscape. He possessed a singular ability to manipulate light and shadow—a technique often associated with chiaroscuro—to sculpt the dense thickets and intertwining branches that define his compositions. In works such as his Forest Landscape, one can observe an almost obsessive attention to detail; every vein of a leaf and every texture of bark is rendered with meticulous care. He utilized the medium of oil on panel and copper to achieve a luminous quality, allowing light to filter through a canopy of various greens, creating a sense of atmospheric depth that feels both tangible and ethereal.
Beyond the mere technical execution, his landscapes are imbued with a sense of narrative and quiet symbolism. A winding path might lead the eye toward a distant, humble village or an imposing castle on the horizon, suggesting themes of isolation, protection, or the coexistence of civilization and the wild. His work captures a transition in art history where the landscape ceased to be a mere backdrop for human drama and instead became the protagonist itself. Through his careful construction of light, shadow, and depth, Coninxloo created worlds that invite serene contemplation, leaving an indelible mark on the development of the Dutch and Flemish Golden Age.
