3. Artist Info - National Gallery of Art Portrait of an Old Woman • 1468-1470. His Madonnas gradually become slenderer and more ethereal and self-conscious, and a greater use of Italian motifs such as putti, garlands, and sculptural detail for the settings marks the later works. He became very successful, and in 1480 was listed among the wealthiest citizens in a city tax list. It was commissioned by the Hospital of Saint John, probably at the request of the hospital master Jan Floreins and intended as a container for the relics of Saint Ursula and other relics, which would be shown publicly just once a year on her feast day. The six side panels depict episodes in Ursulas life. Memling's art shows little or no trace of his German heritage, but there is no documentary evidence to indicate whether he received his artistic training in Germany or Flanders or how old he was upon settling in Bruges. This includes the Altarpiece of Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist (1479; Saint Johns Hospital, Memling Museum, Bruges), painted for the high altar of the hospital church. 4th St and Constitution Ave NW [8] Purchasers of his paintings include Cardinal Grimani and Cardinal Bembo at Venice, and the heads of the House of Medici at Florence. It has therefore been assumed that he worked in Van der Weyden's Brussels workshop in the years preceding that master's death in 1464. The Passion • 1470-1471. Hans Memling (also spelled Memlinc; c. 1430 - 11 August 1494) was a German painter who moved to Flanders and worked in the tradition of Early Netherlandish painting. Some of his direct followers were anonymous artists, referred to by the substitute names of 'Master of St. Ursula's Legend' and 'Master of St. Lucy's Legend'. He was active in that city, working largely for the merchant class and resident foreign communities, until his death on 11 August 1494. Hans Memling. In about 1470, when he was about forty-two, he married Maria Maddelena Baroncelli (born Maria di Francesco . In his hand he is holding a coin. Like other fifteenth-century Flemish painters working in the wake of Jan van Eyck, Hans Memling cloaked religious imagery in the pictorial language of everyday life . The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Scenes from the Passion of Christ by Hans Memling An unknown artist showed a number of small scenes in a similar Passion from Poland, ca. It was first identified and published as a Memling in 1937. In the central panel, assembled around the crucifixion, are the swooning Virgin Mary supported by Saint John the Evangelist, Mary Magdalene kneeling and clutching the base of the cross, and Crabbe accompanied by his patron saint, John the Baptist, and by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, the founder of the Cistercian order. This grand triptych was commissioned by prominent Bruges politician, merchant, and banker Willem Moreel, and his wife Barbara van Vlaenderberch, or van Hertsvelde, for the altar of their family chapel in Saint James Church in Bruges. Yet the whole piece was assigned to the former in the Zambeccari collection at Bologna, whilst it was attributed to the latter at the Middleton sale in London in 1872. When he died in 1494, his style was largely followed until the 16th Century. The details of his life in the intervening years are largely unknown. Hans Memling: Flemish painter (1435 - 1494), Known for: St John Altarpiece, Advent and Triumph of Christ, The Last Judgment, Greverade Triptych, Diptych of Maarten Nieuwenhove, Bembo diptych, Tommaso di Folco Portinari (1428-1501); Maria Portinari (Maria Maddalena Baroncelli, born 1456), Master of the Prado Adoration of the Magi, Portrait of a Man, Portrait of an old man, Portrait of a man . Van Nieuwenhoves patron saint, Martin, appears in the stained-glass behind him, while two roundels beside the Virgin depict Saint Christopher and Saint George, presumably chosen by the sitter as protectors. He was active in that city, working largely for the merchant class and resident foreign communities, until his death on 11 August 1494. All of this suggests that Memling had enough work to hire several people. Our Madison Drive entrance is closed through June 30. Omissions? Portretten van Hans Memling, Brugge 2005.Lorne Campbell, Memling en de Oud-Nederlandse portrettraditie', in: tent.cat. No se sabe demasiado sobre la vida de este pintor. Finally, the clothes in both paintings are folded in a similar way. This had to do with the economic recession in Bruges from 1482-1483 onwards. Except for the three panels featuring Christ with Singing Angels (Retablo Mayor) (Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp) that have been preserved, an 18th-century diary showed that the work also included Mary's Assumption and St. Vitalis, St. Agricola, St. Prudentius and St. Benedict. According to the story, she was the daughter of the Christian king of Britain, and her beauty and virtue led the pagan king of Anglia to desire her as the bride for his son. Since Leonardo painted Bembos palm and laurel leaf emblem on the reverse of his portrait (presumably at the scholars request), it further supports the idea that Bembo was one of the vehicles by which Memlings approach to portraiture was introduced into Italy. [9], He died in Bruges. Hans Memling, "Saint John Altarpiece," 1479, oil on wood, center panel: 173.7 x 173.8 cm, wings each: 176.2 x 79 cm (Sint-Janshospitaal, Memlingmuseum, Bruges) Fig. One of Memlings earliest known paintings, the Madonna and Child Enthroned (c. 146570; Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City) dates to just after his arrival in Bruges, and only two years later he received two major commissions, the monumental Last Judgment (146771; Muzeum Narodowe, Gdansk), commissioned by Florentine banker Angelo Tani, and the Triptych of Jan Crabbe (c. 146770; Musei Civici, Vicenza, Morgan Library, New York, and Groenige Museum, Bruges), painted for the abbot of Ter Duinen Abbey, located west of Bruges. Also in 1479, Memling painted his only two works that were both dated and signed, the St. John's Retable and the Triptych of Jan Floreins. The man is sitting in front of a wide, extended landscape, where we observe swans, a man on a horse and a palm tree. The altarpiece was commissioned by wealthy Spanish traders as the high altarpiece for the monastic church of Santa Maria la Real in Njera. Furthermore, Memling enhanced this effect by painting the man's hand on the bottom-right corner, creating the suggestion that there was room between the portrayed model and the background. Memling's portraits, in particular, were popular in Italy. Hans Memling :: Biography Virtual Uffizi In its use of a continuous landscape to unite the panels, its background cityscape, the proximity of the donor to the sacred figures, and the relative distribution of figures around the central crucifixion, the Crabbe triptych clearly echoes Rogiers Crucifixion Triptych (144345; Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna). The inventories of Margaret of Austria, drawn up in 1524, allude to a triptych of the God of Pity by Rogier van der Weyden, of which the wings containing angels were painted by "Master Hans".[4]. Many devotional diptychs (two-panel paintings) such as this were painted in 15th-century Flanders. Bembo was called to Florence in 1475, and since he is likely to have brought this portrait with him, it helps explain Memlings impact on several Italian artists. So once again, except for the scarce documents referred to above, Memling's paintings are the only real source of information about the artist's comings and goings in this period. In 1465 he was made a citizen of Bruges, where he became one of the leading artists and the master of a large workshop. The first similarity that catches the eye is the one between the figure types in the two paintings. Hans Memling - Wikimedia Commons From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. [9], The Man of Sorrows in the arms of the Virgin, 1475, National Gallery of Victoria, Christ Giving His Blessing, 1478, Norton Simon Museum, Christ Surrounded by Musician Angels, c. 1480 Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, Annunciation, 148089, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Hans Memling - Portrait of Tommaso di Folco Portinari (ca. Later, Memling started to make the underlying drawings with dry materials. The sitter is Maarten van Nieuwenhove, who came from a prominent family of Bruges. Considering Memling's influence on these artists, we can definitely say that Memling played a determining role in the development of Bruges painting. Memling followed this tradition, but with the difference that he applied colours to the heads, hands, feet, staff, the lily and the majolica vase, while keeping the clothes completely white. [4] This altarpiece, Scenes of the Passion of Christ, is now in the Galleria Sabauda of Turin. The Last Judgment (Memling) - Wikipedia [6] Memling's portrait style influenced the work of numerous late-15th-century Italian painters,[7] and is evident in works such as Raphael's Portraits of Agnolo and Maddalena Doni. A fine example is the portrait of a man in the collection of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp, probably painted in 1473-74. Since that time, however, his reputation has continued to rise. 6th St and Constitution Ave NW Hans Memling | Virgin and Child | The Metropolitan Museum of Art (German, 1430-1494) Hans Memling was a German-born painter of the Early Netherlandish school known for his portraits and religious scenes. This way he divided the surface in half: the detailed head is represented in front of the monotonous, blue sky, while the austere black clothes are placed in front of the carefully elaborated landscape, creating a well-balanced though never dull composition. Since the scene takes place in heaven, framed by celestial clouds, Memling used the almost-archaic convention of a flat gold background, contrasting with the detailed realism of his figures and their clothing and accoutrements. The books and articles below constitute a bibliography of the sources used in the writing of this page. ), Hans Memling, essays, Brugge 1994, pp. Memling worked in a highly detailed, illusionistic style, and he was particularly skilled at creating coherent, three-dimensional visual spaces that linked together separate components of his paintings and served as realistic settings for his figures, as well as helping the viewer engage more fully with the image. Hans Memling au Louvre, Parijs 1995.Till-Holger Borchert, tent.cat. Hans Memling was a German painter who lived from 1430 to 1494. There are four works by Memling that feature an oriental carpet. It is the only work in Memling's oeuvre with double wings. Hans Memling | Young Woman with a Pink - The Metropolitan Museum of Art Madonna and Child Enthroned with Two Angels • 1480. Just as the other four saints were included for their clear connections to the Moreel family, however, Saint Christopher who was believed to protect against sudden death surely also held particular significance. Memling condensed the story into six scenes: arrival in Cologne, arrival in Basel, arrival in Rome, leaving from Basel, the martyrdom of the pilgrims in Cologne, and the martyrdom of Saint Ursula. Bruges was a thriving international trade center at the time, and Petrus Christus its leading artist, although the work and reputation of Van Eyck, who had died there twenty-four years earlier, was still prominent. Although the structure of the altarpiece is not clear, it must have been enormous. This way he could work faster and as a result his drawings became looser. He settled in Bruges (Brugge) in 1465; there he established a large shop and executed numerous altarpieces and portraits. He then worked at Bruges, County of Flanders by 1465.[3]. Hans Memling, reverse wings of the Moreel triptych with St. John the Baptist and St. George, 1484, Groeninge museum, Bruges. He was born near the German town of Seligenstadt, west of Frankfurt, mostly likely between 1435 and 1440, and his first documented appearance in the historical record was not until 1465, when he purchased citizenship in Bruges. In the right panel, his wife appears beside her patron saint Barbara and eleven daughters. He was born in the Middle Rhine region, and probably spent his childhood in Mainz. For example, the Annunciation was innovative because it was a 'living' grisaille. Both altarpieces were made for clergymen at St. John's Hospital. Hans Memling - 165 artworks - painting - WikiArt.org Hans Memling (ca. ), Hans Memling, essays, Brugge 1994, pp. This would account for certain parallels in Memlings earliest works with the paintings of the most prominent artist in Cologne, Stefan Lochner, who had also just died in 1451. Memling was born in Selingstadt (in present-day Germany) in 1440, at the latest. Tommaso di Folco Portinari (1428-1501); Maria Portinari (Maria Maddalena Baroncelli, born 1456) MET LC-14 40 627 IRR FINAL.jpg 3,207 4,000; 2.67 MB. East Building Fig. When he died in 1494, his style was largely followed until the 16th Century. Follower of Hans Memling | Virgin and Child | Netherlandish | The When Memling died on 11 August 1494, he was an acclaimed artist at home and abroad. The New York Times / The Christ Child, lovingly supported by his mother, holds a small . The Italian clientele particularly appreciated his portraits. Soon after he had settled in Bruges in 1465, Memling became one of the most successful painters in town. These three large panels are the surviving upper portions of a monumental altarpiece commissioned in 1483 by Gonzalo de Cabredo, prior of the Benedictine monastery of Santa Maria la Real in Njera, Rioja, Spain. Drawing from a variety of sources including Rogier van der Weyden, Robert Campin, and Jan van Eyck, Memling formed part of the second generation of Northern Renaissance painters (also known as the Flemish Primitives), who further developed the realistic representation of human figures, architectural constructions, and landscapes. ).Dagmar Eichberger, Leben mit Kunst, wirken durch Kunst, Turnhout 2002.Maximiliaan P. J. Martens, De opdrachtgevers van Hans Memling', in: Dirk de Vos (ed. As the monastery was dedicated to St. Mary Queen of Heaven, Mary's coronation was probably also depicted. Oil on panel - Saint John's Hospital, Memling Museum, Bruges. Memling did not hold an official role in the painters guild of Bruges and did not receive commissions from the city or the Burgundian court, unlike most other successful artists of his time; instead, he seems to have relied on the wealthy and powerful merchants, bankers, and clergy who lived in or visited the city to support his career. This may have been due to his collaboration with Van der Weyden. Otherwise it is very difficult to discern an early, middle, and late style for the artist. Finally, as historian Jeff Bowersox notes, Memlings portrayal of one of the Magi as a Black man drew on a practice that had only recently begun to emerge, particularly in art from the region around Cologne, where Memling is likely to have trained. Detail of brocade of Saint Catherine's dress Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded. In the years immediately following his death he received little recognition from writers, but his reputation began to increase by the mid-sixteenth century. This is a part of the Wikipedia article used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Unported License (CC-BY-SA). 7th Street is exit only.
