Dating back to 1520, the painting by Quentin Metsys he appeared a century later in the Gallery of Cornelis van der Geest, in the company of Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck and the rulers of the Spanish Netherlands. It then surfaced at auction in 1920, disguised by numerous additions, but has now been restored to its original and much admired splendor.
The painting depicts the Virgin and Child affectionately embrace each other while sitting on a royal throne. Christ, depicted as a robust naked infant, wraps both arms around his mother's neck and kisses her. The Virgin holds him firmly to her breast and delicately lets a stem of cherries blossom between the pinched fingers of her right hand. Through the large arched window on the left you can see a Romanesque palace on the shore of a lake. Rich in symbolism, cherries have celestial connotations as fruit of heaven, while their color indicates the future blood of Christ's passion and sacrifice on the cross. The still life in the foreground elaborates the theme of Christ's future sacrifice, with a yellow apple referring to Christ's role as the new Adam.
The history of the painting and its provenance
The first owner recorded of the Madonna of the cherries was the famous art collector of the early 17th century Cornelis van der Geest who, according to contemporary accounts, resisted the archdukes' attempts to obtain the painting from him. All traces of the painting were lost following its sale to an anonymous buyer in 1668. It reappeared at auction in Paris in 1920 but it was no longer recognizable due to several additions, such as a thick layer of faded paint and repaints, including a green curtain painted on the background landscape. He reappeared once again in 2015 at Christie's auction it had previously sold for £254.500, still ruined by later additions and labeled as a studio release. After a subsequent conservative treatment, which revealed its exceptional quality and state of conservation, scholars recognized it as the first version of Metsys' masterpiece.
The theme of the Madonna delle Ciliegie derives from the example of Leonardo da Vinci from two decades earlier. In Metsys' painting, the lower part of Christ's body, especially his heavy thighs, and the warm modeling of the flesh are reminiscent of the figural types and nuance of Leonardo and his students. Metsys also pays homage to his contemporary Gerard David's development of the theme of the Virgin and Child tenderly embraced, accompanied by a still life, evident in Getty's recently acquired Holy Family.
The author, Quentin Metsys, father of the Antwerp school of painting
He was the leading painter of Antwerp at the beginning of the 16th century. He was known for his compelling portraits, sophisticated use of color and depictions of emotion and expression. Inspired by the example of his 15th-century predecessors and by Italian influences, his work marked a turning point in the history of Dutch art. As Antwerp established itself as a center of artistic innovation, Metsys introduced new types of portraiture and secular painting to the region. In the 17th century he was considered the "father" of the Antwerp school of painting by collectors and leading artists of the time, in particular Peter Paul Rubens.
