COXIE, MICHAEL, a very celebrated old Flemish painter, born nt Mechlin, In 1197. Ile studied first under Bernard van Orley, and devoted afterwards much time to the 'body of the works of Ilaffaelle at Rome, In which city he obtained some distinction as a fresco painter. lie returned with an Italian wife, and with a good stock of Italian art, to his own country, where he enjoyed great renown and amanad a large fortune by his works. They were chiefly altar-pieces, and many of the beat of them wore carried to Slain, but La kept a con siderable gallery ofs some of his choicest productions, in three houses or palaces which he possessed at Mechlin. Ho died at Antwerp in 1592, aged uinety-five, in consequence of a fall from a scaffolding, whilst engaged in painting a picture in the town-house of that place.
Though the work" of Coxie had much merit, he is uow better known for his elaborate of the 'Adoration of the Lamb,' in the church of St. Bacon, at Ghent, by the brothers Van Eyck, than for his own original productions. It Is a large altar-piece with folding wings, in two horizontal divisions, an upper• and a lower divisiou, each with two wings on a aide; six of these wings are now in the royal gallery of Berlin, and the other parts are still at Ghent. Coxie's copy of the two contra pictures of this altar-piece is also in the Berlin Gallery, ' God the Father,' and the 'Adoration of the Lamb ;' other parts are in the Pinakothek of Munich, and in the royal gallery of the Hague : in Munich are the large figures of 'John the Baptist' and the ' Virgin Mary;' at the Hague are all the wings. The copy was
made by Coxie for Philip IL of Spain, and finished in 1559, after two }ears of uninterrupted labour, for which he was paid 4000 florins, about 4001. sterling. When painting this picture, Coxie complained to Philip that he could not procure a blue good enough to paint tho Virgin's drapery with, upon which Philip wrote to Titian for some ultramarine, which Coxie received, and he used a quantity of the value of thirty-two ducats over the single blue mantle of the Virgin. The copy -was painted with extreme care, and kept somewhat softer than the original ; it remained for a long time in the chapel of the old palace of Madrid, whence it was removed and sent to Brussels by General Belliard during the French occupation of Spain. Ceau Bermudez says that Coxie himself took it to Spain.
(Van Mender, Beryl der Schilders ; kunsiblatt, No. 23-27, 1324; Passavant, Keastreire (lurch England und Belgic() ; Waagen, Verseieh niss der lieas3!de•SamnIung des K6niglichen .Huseuels :es Berlin.)