ORLEY, BERNARD VAN

(1491/1492-1542)

The leading painter in Brussels in the first half of the 15th century; influenced by the NorthernMannerists, particularlyJan Gossart. In 1515, van Orley was commissioned by Philip the Handsome to paint six portraits of his children to be given to the king of Denmark. This led to his appointment as court painter toMargaret of Austriain 1518 and, when Margaret died in 1530, van Orley worked as court painter to her successor as regent of the Netherlands, Mary of Hungary. From 1517, van Orley supervised the execution of tapestries made after Raphael's cartoons, and with this he was exposed firsthand to the Italian manner. HisJobAltarpiece(1521; Brussels, Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts) is a Manneristtriptychpainted for Margaret. The central panel shows theDestruction of the Children of Job, a violent scene contained in an Italianate architectural setting. HisLast JudgmentAltarpiece(1525; Antwerp, Musée Royal des Beaux-Arts) shows Italianate nudes in unusual poses, typical of the Mannerist style. Above is a domelike rendition of heaven, where Christ sits at the apex, recalling the semicircular sky in Raphael'sDisputain theStanza della Segnatura(1510-1511) at the Vatican. On the side wings, van Orley depicted theSeven Acts of Mercyto elucidate the Christian belief that charitable acts can lead to salvation. Van Orley was also an accomplished portraitist. His portraitsDoctor Joris van Zelle(1519; Brussels, Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts), of a physician working in Brussels, andCharles V(1521; Budapest, Szepmuveszeti Muzeum) present two monumentalized figures placed in a confined setting. Along with Gossart,Joos van Cleve, andJan van Scorel, van Orley was responsible for introducing to the Low Countries the latest Italian art developments.