Virgin and Child

In early modern Europe, nature was personified as female. Likewise, in this devotional painting the Virgin Mary’s body is likened to the natural world to position it as a site of both physical and spiritual nourishment. The Virgin and Child are seated outside, and the shape of Mary’s exposed breast mimics that of the apple held in Jesus’s hand. The still-life in the foreground conjures senses of smell and taste connected to the mystical biblical Song of Songs. Joos painted the figures, leaving the background to his collaborator. Around this time certain Netherlandish painters began to specialize exclusively in landscapes.