Quentin Massys is best known for his razor sharp wit and his skill at capturing the absurdity of society. His paintings, even after five hindered years, are bitingly clever. He infused his art with a strong sense of comedy and satire. Massys absorbed the Netherlandish artistic traditions and influence, reinterpreting them in  original and often outrageous ways. He painted a range of subjects, excelling in humorous portraiture and social satire.

The  Northern Renaissance was a time of  great intellectual and spiritual awakening.  French, German, and Netherlandish painters took leadership in the development of a new style of painting while  retaining strong Gothic elements within their art-work. The political and religious situation of the region had a profound influence on painters. The ensuing chaos and upheaval of the church meant that there was no single artistic nucleus. Thus there were a number of places where influential art was being created, with regional variations in technique and style.

The early 1500s  saw the demise of feudalism and patronage shifted from super wealthy church to the merchant class.  Businessmen, tradesmen and prosperous women of the merchant class began collecting and commissioning works of art. These new patrons favored paintings that included their dogs, cats, birds, children and household goods.

 A major difference between Italian Renaissance and Northern Renaissance is that Northern painters rejected decadent Greek and Roman influences, focusing more on domestic scenes, satire, and philosophical themes . They rejected the Italian practice of eroticizing the Virgin Mary or portraying the Apostles as leering scalawags.  Humanism was  emerging, and religious devotion, though still an important part of people's lives, was being restructured to accommodate the belief that man can be master his own  fate.