Hans Memling | |
|---|---|
 Memling'sSelf-Portrait atNational Gallery, London | |
| Born | Hans Memling c. 1430 |
| Died | 11 August 1494(1494-08-11) (aged 63–64) |
| Education | Workshop ofRogier van der Weyden |
| Known for |
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| Notable work |
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| Movement | Early Netherlandish Painting |
Hans Memling (also spelledMemlinc;c. 1430 – 11 August 1494) was a German-Flemish painter who worked in the tradition ofEarly Netherlandish painting. Born in theMiddle Rhine region, he probably spent his childhood inMainz. During his apprenticeship as a painter he moved to the Netherlands and spent time in theBrussels workshop ofRogier van der Weyden. In 1465 he was made a citizen ofBruges, where he became one of the leading artists and the master of a large workshop. A tax document from 1480 lists him among the wealthiest citizens. Memling's religious works often incorporateddonor portraits of the clergymen, aristocrats, andburghers (bankers, merchants, and politicians) who were his patrons.[1] These portraits built upon the styles which Memling learned in his youth.
He married Anna de Valkenaere sometime between 1470 and 1480, and they had three children. Memling's art was rediscovered in the 19th century, attaining wide popularity.
Born inSeligenstadt,[2] nearFrankfurt in theMiddle Main region, Memling served hisapprenticeship atMainz orCologne and later worked in theLow Countries underRogier van der Weyden (c. 1455–1460) inBrussels,Duchy of Brabant. He then worked atBruges,County of Flanders by 1465.[2]
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He painted for theHospitallers in 1479 and 1480. In 1477, when he was believed dead, he was under contract to create analtarpiece for the gild-chapel of the booksellers of Bruges.[3] This altarpiece,Scenes of the Passion of Christ, is now in theGalleria Sabauda ofTurin.The Last Judgment, which had been inGdańsk since 1473 is now in theNational Museum there.The Last Judgment was commissioned by Angelo Tani, erstwhile director of the Bruges branch of theMedici Bank, for a chapel at what is now the Badia Fiesolana inFiesole. When the triptych is closed Tani and his wife are shown kneeling in prayer. It was shipped to Fiesole on a vessel that was captured byDanzigprivateerPaul Beneke in April 1473.
The oldest allusions to pictures connected to Memling point to his relations with theBurgundian court, which was held in Brussels. The inventories ofMargaret of Austria, drawn up in 1524, allude to atriptych of theGod of Pity byRogier van der Weyden, of which thewings containingangels were painted by "Master Hans".[3]
Memling's painting ofJohn the Baptist (c. 1470) is in theMunichAlte Pinakothek. He painted theLast Judgment inGdańsk.
Memling's portraits, in particular, were popular in Italy.[4] According to Paula Nuttall, Memling's distinctive contribution to portraiture was his use of landscape backgrounds, characterized by "a balanced counterpoint between top and bottom, foreground and background: the head offset by the neutral expanse of sky, and the neutral area of the shoulders enlivened by the landscape detail beyond".[5] Memling's portrait style influenced the work of numerous late-15th-century Italian painters,[6] and is evident in works such asRaphael'sPortraits of Agnolo andMaddalena Doni.[7] Purchasers of his paintings includeCardinal Grimani andCardinal Bembo atVenice, and the heads of theHouse of Medici atFlorence.[8]
Other paintings include theMadonna and Saints (which passed from the Duchatel collection to theLouvre), theVirgin and Child (painted forSir John Donne and now at theNational Gallery, London), and the four attributed portraits in theUffizi Gallery ofFlorence (including thePortrait of Folco Portinari), theScenes from the Passion of Christ in theGalleria Sabauda of Turin and theAdvent and Triumph of Christ
Around 1492, Memling was commissioned to paint the Najera Altarpiece for theBenedictine Monastery ofSanta Maria la Real inNajera,Rioja, Spain. The altarpiece, which was completed in Flanders, consisted of an image of God surrounded by angels playing a variety of musical instruments while atop a row of clouds before a golden background. Recent scholarship by Bart Fransen has determined that Gonzalo de Cabredo and Abbot Pablo Martinez commissioned the creation of this artwork.[1][9]
Memling became sufficiently prosperous that his name appears on a list of the 875 richest citizens of Bruges who were obligatory subscribers to the loan raised byMaximilian I of Austria, to finance hostilities towards France in 1480.[10] Memling's name does not appear on subsequent subscription lists of this type.[11]
In his later years, he painted theShrine of St Ursula in themuseum of the hospital of Bruges,St Christopher and Saints (1484) in the academy, theDiptych of Maarten van Nieuwenhove in the hospital of Bruges, and a largeCrucifixion, with scenes from the Passion, (1491) from theLübeck Cathedral (Dom) ofLübeck, now in Lübeck'sSt. Annen Museum. Near the close of Memling's career, the registers of thepainters' guild at Bruges give the names of two apprentices who served their time with Memling and paid dues on admission to theguild in 1480 and 1486.[8]
He died in Bruges. The trustees of his will appeared before the court of wards at Bruges on 10 December 1495, and records indicate Memling left behind several children and considerable property.[8]
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![Seven Joys of the Virgin – a Life of the Virgin cycle on a single panel (1480). Altogether 25 scenes, not all involving the Virgin, are depicted, Alte Pinakothek[12]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aHans_Memling_056.jpg)
There are four works by Memling that feature an oriental carpet. They are thetriptych with the Virgin and Child Enthroned (Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum), thetriptych of John Donne (London, National Gallery), theVirgin and Child Enthroned with a large family (Paris, Louvre), and theFlowers in a jug (Madrid, Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum). They all feature an indefinitely repeated pattern that is representative of an archaic strand of ornamentation inTurkoman carpets fromAnatolia andArmenia. This type of carpet is named after Memling and is known asMemling carpets. They are characterized byguls with "hooked" lines radiating from a central body.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Crowe, Joseph Archer;Konody, Paul George (1911). "Memlinc, Hans". InChisholm, Hugh (ed.).Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 18 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 104–105.
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