Click image to view full screen
Virgin and Child
✓ Authenticity guarantee · ✓ Specialist condition report · ✓ Insured worldwide shipping · ✓ Private-room viewing
This small panel was once part of a devotional portrait diptych (a hinged two-panel painting). The Christ child’s attention seems drawn to something outside the picture and lifts his hand in recognition. The opposing panel, once hinged on the right, would have featured a portrait of its original owner in prayer, now unfortunately lost. Such devotional portrait diptychs were popular after 1400 and remained so until their production ceased around the 1530s. Used in private chapels or within the curtain folds of four-poster beds, they could easily be closed when not in use. Hans Memling was born near Frankfurt, Germany. He settled in Bruges around 1465 where he developed a reputation for his painting skills, and provided works to the Burgundian court, which likely cultivated the taste for small portrait diptychs. This example seems to have been painted by a member of Memling’s workshop, perhaps for a wealthy merchant or clergyman.
| Artist / Maker | Hans Memling |
|---|---|
| Date | c. 1470–80 |
| Culture / Origin | Flanders, Bruges |
| Medium | oil on wood |
| Dimensions | Framed: 41.3 x 31.4 x 4.1 cm (16 1/4 x 12 3/8 x 1 5/8 in.); Unframed: 31.5 x 22 cm (12 3/8 x 8 11/16 in.) |
| Department | Medieval Art |
| Type | Painting |
About the Artist
BiographyHans Memling (1435–1494) — German/Flemish painter (c. 1430–1494).Hans Memling worked as painter, artist, visual artist and draftsperson and is associated with Habsburg Netherlands and Germany. Their documented life spans the years 1435 to 1494, born in Seligenstadt, died in Bruges. Their work is linked to Early Netherlandish painting.Disciplinespainter, artist, visual artist, draftspersonBorn1435, SeligenstadtDied1494, BrugesNationalityHabsburg Netherlands, GermanyMovementEarly Netherlandish paintingSources: Wikidata · Wikipedia Full biography →
Provenance & Source
Image & data: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 / Public Domain.
Condition
A detailed condition report and high-resolution photography are available from our specialists in advance of the sale.
Shipping & Collection
Fine-art shipping with climate control and full insurance to over 120 countries; collection by appointment.
Buying at Matchless Pieces
Register, verify your identity, and bid online or in a private room. Buyer’s premium and taxes are shown before you confirm.
