Triptych of the Du Quesnoy-van der Tommen family

The Master of the Legend of the Magdalene painted this triptych of the Du Quesnoy-van der Tommen family around 1508 for the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium. Family triptychs combining donor portraits with religious scenes were standard commissions for prosperous Netherlandish burghers who sought to ensure their spiritual legacy through painted devotional works. The oil medium allowed for rich tonal transitions and glazed layers of color that created luminous depth impossible with the older tempera technique.

The triptych follows the standard Brabantine format with a central religious scene flanked by donor portraits on the wings, rendered in the detailed Brussels manner with careful attention to heraldry and portrait likeness.