The Madonna of the Cherries

The Madonna of the Cherries is one of Joos van Cleve’s most well-known compositions and likewise was one of the most popular images in 16th-century Northern Europe. A remarkable illustration of the interconnection between Italy and the north that was so vital to the artistic innovations of the Renaissance, this composition is believed to have been invented in Milan during the first decade of the 16th century by Leonardo da Vinci. Almost immediately thereafter, it was adapted by one of the Italian master’s best students, Giampietrino (active Milan circa 1495-1540). It was likely a direct encounter with Giampietrino’s painting that ultimately led to the composition’s popularization and proliferation north of the Alps by Joos van Cleve and his workshop in Antwerp around 1525-1530. The present painting is distinguished from the numerous copies of this composition that were produced throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, by its inventive landscape, which departs from the standard river landscape with two trees and mountains in the distance, or the landscape with the vignette of soldiers talking to farmers as they harvest grain, seen in most versions by Joos van Cleve and his workshop.