When Elizabeth, the young queen of Denmark in exile and sister of Emperor Charles V, died in 1526, her husband, Christian II, commissioned Gossaert to design a tomb and an epitaph for a church in Ghent, where she was buried. The definitive tomb (destroyed in the late 16th century) was much simpler, and this elegant and elaborate design in Renaissance style must have been the artist's original project. Its intricateness may have surpassed the ability of the tomb's sculptors as well as Christian's financial means, which were depleted by his effort to regain his kingdom. Whereas the reclining figure of the queen is a traditional element of medieval sepulchral monuments, the seated Virtues in the lower register were probably not seen before in Netherlandish art. Gossaert may have based them on works by 15th century Italian artists that he could have seen during his trip to Rome in 1508-09. (http://www.metmuseum.org)