According to the Latin inscription on the back of this panel, which attributes it to Jan Gossaert, it was acquired by the magistrate of Louvain in 1588 from that city’s Augustinian monks. It was intended as a gift of thanks to Philip II for having waived the taxes and tariffs owed by the inhabitants of Louvain for twelve years after that city was decimated by the plague in 1578. Seeking to give the king something he would enjoy, they chose a painting. As Philip II’s appreciation of old Flemish painting was common knowledge, an effort was made to acquire a work of quality. Two painters -Jan de Rillaert and Lenaert de Marienberghe- were charged with the task of selecting it, and they decided that The Virgin of Louvain was One of Gossaert’s most exceptional jewels.

The inscription’s attribution of this work to Jan Gossaert was originally considered unquestionable, especially because it was written in the century and city where the work itself had been painted. Recently, however, Friedländer has suggested that its style is not that of Jan Gossaert, but rather of Barend van Orley, dating from around 1520.

The Renaissance architecture is rather contrived and not in proportion to the panel’s figures, which reflects Barend van Orley’s style from around 1520, when he was already influenced by Raphael. This did not, however, keep him from including models and symbols from the Flemish tradition in a pyramidal Renaissance composition like the present depiction of Mary and her Son.

Unlike many other works brought to Spain during the second half of the 16th century, the provenance of this painting is well known, as are the circumstances associated with Philip II’s acquisition of it. The characteristics of the donation probably explain why it was not sent to the monastery at El Escorial until Philip II’s death in 1598. It remained there until it was taken to the Museo del Prado in 1839 (Text drawn from Silva, P.: Pintura flamenca de los siglos XV y XVI. Guía, Museo Nacional del Prado, 2001, p. 126).