Mabuse, born c. 1478, County of Hainaut, died c.
1532, Breda, Brabant (now in Netherlands), was originally named Jan
Gossaert, or Jenni Gossart, also called Jan Malbodius. He was a
Flemish painter who was one of the first artists to introduce the
style of the Italian Renaissance into the Low Countries.
He derived the name Mabuse from his family home,
Maubeuge, in northern France. He is most likely to be identified with
one Jennyn van Hennegouwe, who is registered as a master in the Guild
of St. Luke at Antwerp in 1503. His most important early work extant
is the “Adoration of the Kings” (National Gallery,
London), which is painted in the ornate style of the Antwerp school.
Other early works, such as “Jesus, the Virgin, and the
Baptist” (Prado, Madrid), reflect his interest in the works of
Jan van Eyck and Albrecht Durer. Another early work, famous for its
sense of mood, is the “Agony in the Garden” (Staatliche
Museen Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Berlin).
In 1508 Mabuse accompanied his employer, Philip of
Burgundy, to Italy, where he was strongly impressed by the art of the
High Renaissance. After his return from Italy in 1509, he continued
to study Italian art through the engravings of Marcantonio Raimondi
and Jacopo de'Barbari. Mabuse's subsequent work shows a continuous
effort to develop a fully Italianate style. This is evident in such
works as the “Neptune and Amphitrite” (1516; Staatliche
Museen Preussischer Kulturbesitz) and the “Hercules and
Deianira” (1517; Barber Institute, Birmingham, Eng.), in which
his early, complex designs have given way to a comparatively simple
and direct conception.
Sculpturesque nudes become common in Mabuse's
later paintings, but they seldom avoid the stiff, lapidary quality
ofhis earlier figures. In his “Danae” (Alte Pinakothek,
Munich), Mabuse employs an elaborate architectural setting as a foil
for the seminude figure, a device he frequently used. Throughout his
life, he retained the jewellike technique and careful observation
that were traditional in Netherlandish art.
Mabuse was also a renowned portrait painter. His
portraits, such as the “Charles de Bourgogne” (Staatliche
Museen Preussischer Kulturbesitz), “Eleanor of Austria”
(c. 1525; H.A.Wetzlar Collection, Amsterdam), and “Jean
Carondelet” (1517; Louvre, Paris), reveal his facility for
psychological perception and are particularly notable for their
expressive depiction of hands.