Updated November 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 172 works by Joos van Cleve in our catalogue
In short
Of all the originals Joos van Cleve left, the most famous is The Virgin and Child with Angels (1520), in the collection of the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. Close behind it come The Infants Christ and Saint John the Baptist Embracing (1525) and Madonna and Child (1525). Our catalog holds 172 works by Joos van Cleve; the gallery has kept the 100 the world admires most, each shown with its date, its museum and its story.
To stand before this panel is to enter a quiet, sacred space carved out of the sixteenth century. Joos van Cleve presents us with the Virgin Mary seated upon a throne, her presence defined by a sense of regal calm. She cradles the infant Jesus, a moment of maternal tenderness that feels both profoundly human and deeply celestial. Surrounding them, a group of angels attends to the scene, their movements…
Two small, pale bodies press together in a quiet, fleshy embrace. They sit upon a soft green cushion, their limbs soft and rounded against the hard, dark lines of an architectural frame. This frame acts as a proscenium arch, a heavy stone window that separates the viewer from the divine intimacy of the scene. The light falls softly across their skin, catching the curve of a shoulder and the swell…
The air feels still in this intimate corner of the sixteenth century. A serene Madonna leans forward, her presence defined by the deep red of her mantle and the dark green of her gown. She holds the Christ Child with a tenderness that transcends the painted surface, her skin glowing with a soft, diffused light that seems to emanate from within the panel itself. They sit behind a cold stone…
A young woman is captured in a three-quarter view, her gaze directed slightly away from the viewer. She is dressed in a dark, near-black bodice and muted greyish-blue sleeves, accented by vibrant red fabric at the wrists. A white headpiece frames her face, while a fur trim adds texture to her attire. The composition focuses on the subject from the waist up, set against a flat, dark green background that…
Within the quiet confines of a structured architectural niche, a tender scene unfolds. The Virgin Mary sits in a moment of profound intimacy, her body turned toward the infant Christ as she offers him nourishment. This act of nursing transcends mere physical sustenance, acting as a quiet symbol of the divine meeting the human. Her mantle, a deep and saturated crimson, flows around her with a heavy, tactile presence, contrasting…
The Portrait of Young Man in a Black Hat is a work by the Flemish Renaissance painter Joos van Cleve. Created in 1519, this portrait captures a single moment of stillness. The subject is a young man, rendered with a quiet, steady presence. He exists within a space defined by shadow and light, his gaze directed slightly away from the viewer.
There is a certain stillness in this 1524 portrait that commands immediate attention. The subject, a young man positioned slightly off-center, gazes toward the right of the frame with a contemplative, almost distant expression. He is draped in a dark doublet, but it is the large, floppy red beret that anchors the composition. This saturated crimson creates a sharp, deliberate contrast against the muted, cool blue of the background. The…
In this oil portrait, we find ourselves in a private, hushed space with a young woman caught in a moment of profound stillness. She is likely the Virgin Mary, her gaze cast downward in a gesture of quiet contemplation. The composition focuses on her from the waist up, pulling the viewer into her intimate sphere through a medium close-up. A deep, monochromatic background of midnight blue and teal envelops her,…
The heavy, velvety folds of a red mantle anchor the composition, pressing against the deep teal of a gown. Within this weight of fabric, the Virgin Mary sits with a stillness that feels carved from the air itself. She holds the Christ Child, whose soft skin catches a light coming from the upper left. A translucent veil rests upon her head, its sheer texture nearly invisible against the pale tones…
The composition centers on the vertical axis of the cross, where the figure of Christ dominates the upper half of the frame. Below, three figures anchor the scene: the Virgin Mary in dark blue, a mourning woman kneeling, and Saint John the Evangelist in red. The palette relies on the contrast between these deep primary tones and the pale, luminous skin of the crucified figure. Soft, diffused lighting casts gentle…
The Holy Family1512 · Metropolitan Museum of Art
12
The Holy Family1520 · Statens Museum For Kunst
13
Madonna and Child Eating an Apple1527 · National Museum in Kraków
14
Mary and Joseph, Kneeling Before the Child1513 · Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden
15
Winged Altar1530 · Kunsthistorisches Museum
16
Emperor Maximilian I. (1459-1519)1508 · Kunsthistorisches Museum
17
Lamentation of Christ1524 · Städel Museum
18
The Birth of Christ1520 · Kunsthistorisches Museum
19
Virgin and Child1525 · Metropolitan Museum of Art
20
Madonna with Pear1515 · Städel Museum
21
Monna Vanna Nuda1530 · National Gallery Prague
22
Madonna and Child with Carnation1535 · The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
23
Madonna and Child1524 · Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
24
Eleanor of Austria (1498–1558), Queen of France1530 · Condé Museum
25
Assumption of Mary1501 · Sacred Art Museum of Funchal
26
Portrait of a Beardless Man1519 · Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister
27
Saint Catherine (left); Saint Mary Magdalene (right)1518 · Julius Böhler AG
28
Portrait of a Physician with Cap and Black Robe1510
29
Triptych of Incarnation1510 · Sacred Art Museum of Funchal
30
The Virgin with the Sleeping Child1517 · Szépművészeti Múzeum
31
Marientod Altarpiece - left wing1515 · Bavarian State Painting Collections
32
Salvator Mundi1512
33
Adam1507
34
Eve1507
35
Madonna and Child with a Dominican Offering His Heart1510
36
Triptych. Centre: the Deposition from the Cross; Left wing: St John the Baptist with a Donor; Right wing: St Margaret of Antioch with a Donatrix1518 · Scottish National Gallery
37
Saint Reinhold Altar1510 · National Museum in Warsaw
38
Portrait of Francis I, King of France1532 · Philadelphia Museum of Art
39
Rest on the flight to Egypt1513 · Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
40
Lamentation of Christ1512 · Wallraf-Richartz-Museum
41
Saints Catherine and Gudula with Catharina Hackeney (née Hardenrath) and Sibilla Hackeney (née van van Merle)1515 · Wallraf-Richartz-Museum
42
Saints George and Nicasius with Georg and Nicasius Hackeney1515 · Wallraf-Richartz-Museum
43
Portrait of a woman with a rosary1516 · Museum Mayer van den Bergh
44
Noli me tangere1517 · Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum
45
Virgin and Child1515 · Julius Böhler AG
46
The Madonna and Child1512 · Kunsthandel P. de Boer
47
The Suicide of Lucretia1520 · Kunsthistorisches Museum
48
Margaretha Boghe1518 · Rubens House
49
Mary with Child1527 · Museum Catharijneconvent
50
Altarpiece of the Lamentation of Christ: The Stigmatization of Saint Francis of Assisi1522
51
Christ Appears to Mary Magdalene1524 · Julius Böhler AG
52
Mary with Child1525
53
Mary with Child1525
54
Portrait of a Young Man (Lyons)1528 · Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon
55
Portrait of Eleonora, Queen of France1530 · Museo Lázaro Galdiano
56
Virgin of the Annunciation1524 · Städel Museum
57
Saint Veronica Displaying the Sudarium1524 · Städel Museum
58
Joseph of Arimathea1524 · Städel Museum
59
Angel of the Annunciation1524 · Städel Museum
60
Triptych with the Lamentation of Christ1524 · Städel Museum
61
Adoration of the Magi1525 · Detroit Institute of Arts
62
Virgin Mary in Prayer1522 · National Galleries of Palazzo Spinola
63
Bust of a woman1525 · Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister im Schloss Wilhelmshöhe
64
Half length portrait of a man1526 · Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister im Schloss Wilhelmshöhe
65
Portrait of a Man with a Rosary1519 · Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister im Schloss Wilhelmshöhe
66
The Holy Family1520 · Currier Gallery of Art
67
Mater Dolorosa1525 · Yale University Art Gallery
68
Portrait of a Man with Gloves1528 · Gemäldegalerie
69
Madonna and Child1532 · Cincinnati Art Museum
70
Portrait of a Man with Gloves1520
71
Rest in flight1525 · Bavarian State Painting Collections
72
Christ on the Cross1529 · Bavarian State Painting Collections
73
Marientod Altar: Saints Christina and Gudula with donors Christina and Sibilla Hackeney behind outside: SS. Sebastian and Roch1519 · Bavarian State Painting Collections
74
Portrait of a Lady1522 · Bavarian State Painting Collections
75
Man dressed in black holding gloves1530
76
Henry VIII (1491-1547)1532 · Royal Collection
77
Eleanora of Austria, Queen of France (1498-1558)1532 · Royal Collection
78
Crucifixion with Virgin, Mary Magdalene and Saint John1530
79
The Holy Family1530
80
Triptych with the Adoration of the Magi1520 · National Gallery Prague
81
Virgin and Child1525
82
The Holy Family (Ghent)1520 · Museum of Fine Arts Ghent (MSK)
83
The Christ-Child1524 · Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
84
Virgin and Child with St Joseph1525
85
Portrait of Adriaan van der Goes (....-1560)1526 · Het Prinsenhof
86
Portrait of Stefano Raggio (?)1522 · National Galleries of Palazzo Spinola
87
Holy Family1530
88
Virgin and Child with Saints Anne and Joachim1520 · Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
89
Portrait of Anna Laurensdr. van Spangen (....1548)1526 · Het Prinsenhof
90
Portrait of a man1520
91
portrait of a man1520
92
Madonna and Child, Madonna with the cherries1525 · Gemäldegalerie
93
Adoration of the Magi with Sigismund I of Poland.1520 · Gemäldegalerie
94
Saint Jerome in His Study1521 · Harvard Art Museums
95
Saint Jerome in His Study1528
96
Portrait of Francis I, King of France1535 · Carnavalet Museum
97
Jesus and Saint John as infants embracing1540
98
Madonna and Child1535 · National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design
99
Self Portrait1537 · Royal Collection
100
Katlijne van Mispelteeren, The Artist's Wife1537 · Royal Collection
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 Joos van Cleve | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Städel Museum |
Frankfurt | 9 | Madonna and Child, Madonna and Child in a Niche, Lamentation of Christ |
 Kunsthistorisches Museum |
Vienna | 6 | Mary with Child, Winged Altar, Emperor Maximilian I. (1459-1519) |
 Bavarian State Painting Collections |
Munich | 6 | Marientod Altarpiece - left wing, Rest in flight, Christ on the Cross |
 Royal Collection |
London | 4 | Henry VIII (1491-1547), Eleanora of Austria, Queen of France (1498-1558), Self Portrait |
 Philadelphia Museum of Art |
Philadelphia | 5 | Portrait of a Young Man, Crucifixion, Portrait of Francis I, King of France |
| Julius Böhler AG | Starnberg | 4 | Saint Catherine (left); Saint Mary Magdalene (right), Virgin and Child, Christ Appears to Mary Magdalene |
 Wallraf-Richartz-Museum |
Cologne | 4 | Lamentation of Christ, Saints Catherine and Gudula with Catharina Hackeney (née Hardenrath) and Sibilla Hackeney (née van van Merle), Saints George and Nicasius with Georg and Nicasius Hackeney |
 Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister im Schloss Wilhelmshöhe |
Kassel | 3 | Bust of a woman, Half length portrait of a man, Portrait of a Man with a Rosary |
Pick a decade to see the original that defines it.
A formal bust-length portrait captures Emperor Maximilian I within an arched, gilded frame that provides a sense of depth. The subject is positioned slightly off-center, his gaze directed toward the left. A deep forest green background provides a stark contrast to the black cap and heavy garments worn by the sitter. Gold patterns decorate the sleeves, catching the light that enters from the upper left. This lighting casts soft shadows…
The Portrait of Young Man in a Black Hat is a work by the Flemish Renaissance painter Joos van Cleve. Created in 1519, this portrait captures a single moment of stillness. The subject is a young man, rendered with a quiet, steady presence. He exists within a space defined by shadow and light, his gaze directed slightly away from the viewer.
To stand before this panel is to enter a quiet, sacred space carved out of the sixteenth century. Joos van Cleve presents us with the Virgin Mary seated upon a throne, her presence defined by a sense of regal calm. She cradles the infant Jesus, a moment of maternal tenderness that feels both profoundly human and deeply celestial. Surrounding them, a group of angels attends to the scene, their movements…
The heavy, velvety folds of a red mantle anchor the composition, pressing against the deep teal of a gown. Within this weight of fabric, the Virgin Mary sits with a stillness that feels carved from the air itself. She holds the Christ Child, whose soft skin catches a light coming from the upper left. A translucent veil rests upon her head, its sheer texture nearly invisible against the pale tones…
In Jesus and Saint John as infants embracing, Joos van Cleve draws the viewer into a private, quiet world through a close-up, eye-level view. The composition is tightly focused on the two central subjects, pulling all attention toward the tender physical connection between the infants. This intimacy is heightened by a dramatic lighting scheme reminiscent of chiaroscuro, where a strong light source from the front-left carves the figures out of…
The Virgin and Child with Angels (1520), Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool. The Infants Christ and Saint John the Baptist Embracing (1525) and Madonna and Child (1525) come next.
35 years old: The Virgin and Child with Angels dates from 1520, and Joos van Cleve was born in 1485.
The Virgin and Child with Angels, The Infants Christ and Saint John the Baptist Embracing, Madonna and Child, Portrait of a Woman, Madonna and Child in a Niche, Portrait of Young Man in a Black Hat, Portrait of a Young Man, The Virgin in Prayer, Mary with Child and Crucifixion. The ranking above gives each one's year and museum.
Our catalog holds 172 works by Joos van Cleve, dated from 1501 to 1540.
Mostly in Städel Museum (Frankfurt), Kunsthistorisches Museum (Vienna) and Bavarian State Painting Collections (Munich). The museum table above lists them all.
In 1520s: 51 of the 100 works on this page were made then, The Virgin and Child with Angels among them.
On this page, the earliest is Assumption of Mary (1501) and the latest Jesus and Saint John as infants embracing (1540).
Woman (60), Man (39) and Child (36), across the 100 works on this page.
Oil On Panel, for 75 of the 100 works on this page.
Northern renaissance, judging by the originals on this page.
Madonna and Child, Madonna and Child in a Niche and Lamentation of Christ: the Städel Museum, Frankfurt holds 9 of the works on this page.
In the bustling, mercantile heart of sixteenth-century Antwerp, a new era of visual storytelling was unfolding, driven by the brush of Joos van Cleve. Born around 1485 in Krefeld, Germany, this Flemish Renaissance master emerged not merely as a painter of great skill, but as a visionary bridge between two worlds. His career, which flourished from approximately 1511 until his death in 1540, represents a profound moment in art history where the meticulous, detailed traditions of the Netherlandish masters met the sweeping, atmospheric innovations flowing from the Italian Renaissance. To look upon a work by van Cleve is to witness a delicate dance between the tactile reality of Northern Europe and the idealized grace of the South.
The foundations of his genius were laid during his formative years under the tutelage of Jan Joest. This rigorous apprenticeship provided him with more than just technical proficiency; it immersed him in the monumental traditions of late Gothic art. One of his most significant early experiences involved assisting Joest on the high altar of the Kalkar Nikolaikirche, a project that demanded an understanding of grand scale and spiritual gravity. Through this work, van Clecept mastered the complex alchemy of pigment preparation and the painstaking layering of glazes—techniques that would later allow him to imbue his portraits with a lifelike luminosity and his religious scenes with a palpable sense of divinity.
What truly distinguishes Joos van Cleve from his contemporaries was his restless, experimental spirit. While many artists of the period remained tethered to the rigid stylistic dogmas of their local guilds, van Cleve looked toward the horizon. He became a pioneer of Flemish Mannerism, a style characterized by an exceptional sensitivity to color and a remarkable unity of figures within a composition. Perhaps his most enduring contribution to the Northern Renaissance was his revolutionary use of landscape. Rather than utilizing static or symbolic backdrops, he introduced expansive, atmospheric vistas that breathed life into his subjects, creating a sense of depth and continuity between the human figure and the natural world.
This stylistic evolution was deeply influenced by the burgeoning trends in Italy. By integrating elements of Italianate perspective and a more fluid, rhythmic approach to anatomy, he transformed the traditional Flemish portrait into something far more psychologically complex. His subjects were no longer mere icons of status; they possessed an inner life, an emotional resonance that invited the viewer into a silent dialogue. This ability to convey profound human emotion through subtle facial expressions and delicate hand gestures remains one of his most celebrated achievements.
The legacy of Joos van Cleve is etched into the very fabric of Antwerp’s golden age. As a central figure in the city's artistic community, his workshop became a beacon of innovation, influencing generations of painters who followed. His ability to blend the following elements ensured his lasting impact on the history of European art:
Though his life ended in 1540, the echoes of his artistry continue to resonate. Joos van Cleve did not simply follow the trends of his time; he helped define them, leaving behind a body of work that serves as a testament to the transformative power of artistic synthesis. His paintings remain enduring windows into a period of immense cultural transition, capturing the moment when the medieval world began to dissolve into the light of the modern era.
