Lot 1219 Dα

Jan Massys was the eldest son of Quentin Massays, and unlike his brother Cornelis, Jan's style is much closer to that of his father. His paintings can be stylistically placed into two stylistic groups: Works corresponding to the first Antwerp period before 1544, the year he was accused of heresy and banished from the town, and the others dating after 1558. Most of his production belongs to the second Antwerp period, the present panel being one of the latest or even maybe the last he achieved.
The subject is taken from the apocryphal Gospel of Pseudo Matthew. The composition has been carefully designed in two opposing right-angled triangles. The right figure in the foreground shows the Holy Family taking some rest at a well while in the opposite one a vast panoramic landscape crossed by a winding river unfolds towards the far horizon.