Singing angels (after The Ghent Altarpiece)

Coxie employed fine brushwork to render the intricate folds of the angels’ robes and the delicate carvings of the architectural backdrop. Warm tones in the garments contrast with the cool, muted blue background, enhancing spatial depth. The style merges Flemish precision in texture with Italianate balance in composition, reflecting Coxie’s exposure to Renaissance ideals during his time in Rome.

Commissioned as a devotional panel, the painting was likely created for private or ecclesiastical use in the mid-16th century. Coxie’s reputation as a court painter ensured its preservation within elite collections. It entered the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium in the 19th century, where it remains today as part of a broader effort to document Flemish artistic heritage.

In the decades following the Reformation, religious imagery in the Low Countries shifted toward controlled, harmonious compositions that avoided overt controversy. Coxie’s adaptation of the Ghent Altarpiece aligned with this trend, offering a devotional image that honored tradition while conforming to emerging Counter-Reformation sensibilities.

Coxie’s work helped bridge the Northern Renaissance and early Mannerism, influencing later Flemish painters through his synthesis of Italian and local styles. Though less widely known than the Van Eycks, his reinterpretations of major altarpieces preserved their visual language for new generations, ensuring their continued relevance in a changing religious landscape.