The Children of Christian II, King of Denmark (1481-1559)
1526RCIN 405782
The three royal children depicted are in mourning for their mother, Isabella Queen of Denmark, who died in 1526. This may explain their sombre expressions, with their porcelain-like complexions conveying vulnerability. Gossaert compressed the figures into a small fictively-framed space to accentuate the family bond. The quinces symbolise fertility and marriage; the cherries allude to paradise.