Jan de Beer (painter)

Jan de Beer, formerly known as the Master of the Milan Adoration (c. 1475 – 1528) was a Flemish painter, draughtsman and glass designer active in Antwerp at the beginning of the 16th century.

Jan de Beer completed his apprenticeship with Gillis van Everen, a painter with a large workshop in Antwerp.

Jan de Beer and Matsys were invited to judge in a dispute over the quality of a painted and carved altarpiece commissioned for the town of Dunkirk in 1509.

Art historians Georges Hulin de Loo and Max Friedländer played a key role in the rediscovery of the artist.

In 1902 Hulin de Loo discovered the artist's signature on a sketch of Nine Male Heads (British Museum), which he published in 1913.

The Brera Adoration of the Magi and the signed sketch of Nine Male Heads (British Museum) are the basis on which all attributions are based.

The Antwerp Mannerists typically depicted religious themes, which they interpreted generally in a more superficial manner than the Flemish artists of the previous century in favour of a fluid form and an abundance of meticulously rendered details.

[6] Many of the panels or triptychs produced by the Antwerp Mannerists depicted scenes of the Nativity of Jesus, usually situated at night, the Adoration of the Magi and the Crucifixion.

[5] The Adoration of the Magi was in particular dear to them as it allowed the artists to give free rein to their preoccupation with ornament and the simulation and imitation of luxury products.

[8] While the Antwerp Mannerists often used standardised models in their works, Jan de Beer demonstrated that it was still possible to achieve a high level of individuality within these conventionalized forms.

[3] Friedländer identified several characteristics of de Beer's style such as Gothic architecture, draped curtains, billowing figures and robes that spread out to the ground or end in points.

It has been suggested by an art historian that the two wing panels were entrusted by Jan de Beer to the so-called 'Master of Amiens', one of his best students.

The triptych's visual programme was intended to prompt the faithful, through the contemplation of major episodes in the life of the Holy Family, to follow the Christian lifestyle.

[9] His drawings are principally preparatory studies for paintings, designs and cartoons for glass windows and works on canvas that served as a possible example for temporary decorations during festive occasions.