Emperor Charles and His Mistress Johanna Van der Gheynst at the Cradle of their Daughter Margaret

In this genre scene, Théodore Jozef Canneel gives us a romanticized picture of the emperor’s private life. In 1522, Johanna van der Gheynst, the daughter of a tapestry-weaver in the region of Oudenaarde, gave birth to a daughter who later became Margaret of Parma. Canneel’s work is sober, with an eye for detail, but unlike Henry Leys, his historic realism…

In this genre scene, Théodore Jozef Canneel gives us a romanticized picture of the emperor’s private life. In 1522, Johanna van der Gheynst, the daughter of a tapestry-weaver in the region of Oudenaarde, gave birth to a daughter who later became Margaret of Parma. Canneel’s work is sober, with an eye for detail, but unlike Henry Leys, his historic realism is always secondary to the story. In addition to portraits, historical work and genre scenes, Canneel also focused on monumental painting. For example he painted the frescos in the Churches of the Holy Saviour and St Anne in Ghent.