Neptune and Amphitrite (detail)
by GOSSART, Jan, Oil on wood
Jan Gossart’s most compelling paintings were made for Philip of Burgundy during the time the patron was shaping his political identity as admiral of the Burgundian fleet (1502-17). From about 1516 to 1521, Gossart worked as Philip’s court artist, depicting mythological nudes that can be understood as a celebration of sensual pleasures. In reviving classical eroticism for Philip, the artist used his painterly skills to assimilate the loves of the ancient gods into the life of a sixteenth-century Burgundian ruler.