Willem Key’s Lamentation of Christ with Donors (1553) has recently been purchased by the Charles Vreeken Fund, managed by the King Baudouin Foundation, and will be moving to M Leuven later this year. This monumental panel combines bold artistic innovation with intimate devotion and immerses us in sixteenth‑century Antwerp.

A rarity to be cherished

Very few important paintings by Willem Key (ca. 1515-1568) remain in Belgium today, and no work by him is permanently on display in any Flemish museum. With the inclusion of this masterpiece in the collection of M Leuven, that gap is finally filled. It is the only signed and documented painting by Willem Key and is considered a key work of the sixteenth century. The painting is on its way to being recognized as a “Topstuk” (Masterpiece) by the Flemish government.

Willem Key, master of the Flemish Renaissance

Although less familiar to the wider public today, Key was regarded in his own time as one of the leading figures of the Flemish Renaissance. Trained by Pieter Coecke and Lambert Lombard, he combined the Flemish tradition with Italian boldness. His style is characterized by subtle realism, emotional restraint and a pronounced attention to texture.

In addition to his renown as a portraitist, he was a remarkable history painter, recognized and admired by his contemporaries. A significant portion of his oeuvre was lost during the Iconoclasm of 1566, which contributes to the relative scarcity of his surviving works.

A monumental composition with donors

Lamentation of Christ with Donors is a monumental panel (171.5 by 131.5 cm) depicting the body of Christ, surrounded by the Virgin Mary, John and the holy women. Two donors — identifiable by the inscriptions on their garments — take part in the scene. Key combines the emotional intensity of Flemish masters such as Quinten Metsys with the powerful visual language of Italian predecessors like Michelangelo.

The composition inspired numerous copies within and beyond the artist’s workshop, contributing to the dissemination of this pictorial type across Europe. Through its monumentality, quality and originality, the work marks a high point in Antwerp painting before the age of Rubens.

Restoration and presentation

The public will discover the work for the first time at BRAFA, at the stand of the King Baudouin Foundation. After the fair, the painting is planned for restoration. This includes correcting the discoloration of several blue pigments — including smalt blue — allowing the painting to regain its original appearance. The work will then move to M Leuven, where it will be exhibited for the first time as part of the exhibition on Flemish sculptors in Italy.

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