Lot 1421 D α

Marten van Cleve the Elder came from a family of painters. His father was Wilhelm the Younger, and his younger brother was Hendrick van Cleve III. Marten was a pupil of Frans Floris, and Amsterdam sales reciepts of the early 17th century reveal that he also worked together with Gillis Mostaert. He became a member of the Antwerp Academy and the Guild of Saint Luke in 1551. He never left Flanders and died of gout at age 50. Cleve's sons Gillis, Marten the Younger, Joris and Nicolas also became painters.