BEER, Jan de

An almost identical composition of approximately the same measurements, considered to be a copy of the present work is in the Alte Pinakothek, Munich.

The two panels, depicting the Birth of the Virgin ad the Annunciation, form a pair and relate two episodes from the life of the Virgin. Stylistically they are heavily indebted to the Early Netherlandish painters, such as Jan van Eyck and the Master of Fl�malle. In the Annunciation scene the artist has aimed to give the religious subject a realistic and everyday feeling, emphasizing the human side of the protagonists.

Jan de Beer was one of the most characteristic representatives of the Antwerp Mannerism. These artists mainly drew inspiration from Late Gothic forms but by applying heightened decorativity and seeking to achieve extraordinary effects they gradually broke away from the ideals of fifteenth-century art.

The drawing depicts the philosopher Aristotle crawling about with the lovely Phyllis on his back, holding reins and a switch, with two figures in an arch beyond at right.

The two panels, depicting the Birth of the Virgin ad the Annunciation, form a pair and relate two episodes from the life of the Virgin. Stylistically they are heavily indebted to the Early Netherlandish painters, such as Jan van Eyck and the Master of Fl�malle. The artist has treated The Birth of the Virgin as a domestic scene, filling the room with details and everyday objects. Various women surround St Anne as they perform their tasks. This type of painting, which delights in decoration and wealth of detail, was developed at around this period in Antwerp by a group of little-known painters, among them de Beer. They are sometimes referred to as the Antwerp Mannerists.

Jan de Beer was a prominent member of the Antwerp Mannerists who developed a new style in Antwerp in the early decades of the sixteenth century. In their drawings a lively line and vigorous hatching tend to fill any space not already filled, in marked contrast with the concentrated and self-effacing way most fifteenth-century Netherlandish artists drew. The Antwerp Mannerists’ style may reflect the influence of D�rer’s prints.

The Lamentation is the work of an artist from Jan de Beer’s circle.

The triptych represents the Adoration of the Magi (centre), the Nativity (left panel), and Rest during the Flight into Egypt (right panel).

Jan de Beer was a Flemish painter, one of the Antwerp Mannerist school many of whose paintings were formerly ascribed to him.

The central panel depicts the Adoration of the Shepherds. On the left wing is St Felicity with her sons and on the right is St Ursula with her followers. The composition and style are characteristic of Antwerp Mannerism of the early 16th century.