Christian Allegory

Jan Provost belongs to the first generation of 16th-century Netherlandish artists, but his style nevertheless remains firmly indebted to the Flemish tradition of the 15th century. While the 1500s saw the spread of Italian classicism and the Mannerist style throughout Europe, the strength of the Flemish legacy meant that it survived and developed along a different path to classicism and that the two trends coexisted.

This allegory represents the Cosmos in the hand of God in the presence of Christ and the Church (or the Virgin Mary).