About the Artist

Hans Memling (c.1433 Seligenstadt am Main 1494 Bruges) stands at the point of transition from the Gothic to the Renaissance. It is possible that he learned his trade in a workshop along the middle Rhine or in Cologne. Evidence suggests that Memling worked in Brussels in 1465, where he may have studied under Rogier van der Weyden, and a year later in Bruges, Expanding upon the tradition of van der Weyden and Dierick Bouts, Memling had developed a style of his own by around 1470. His works reveals rich coloration, graceful figures, and carefully observed details, which he varies in numerous ways, compiling them into a harmoniously organized whole. In his later works he began to come to terms with the early Italian Renaissance. Works by the artist include Triptych, before 1479, Museo del Prado, Madrid; Diptych of Martin van Nieuvenhoven, 1487, Memling-Museum, Bruges; and Portrait of a Praying Man, c. 1483, Museo Thyssen Bornemisza, Madrid.