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Young Woman with a Pink, ca. 1485–90
Attributed to Hans Memling (Netherlandish, active about 1465, died 1494)
Oil on wood; Overall 17 x 7 3/8 in. (43.2 x 18.7 cm); painted surface 17 x 6 7/8 in. (43.2 x 17.5 cm)
The Jules Bache Collection, 1949 (49.7.23)

Long considered a portrait, this panel is, instead, part of an allegory of true love, and this accounts for the woman's stylized features. A companion picture in the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, shows two horses, one with a monkey on its back, in a landscape; the horses, symbols for the man in love, represent the opposing attributes of lust and faithfulness. The carnation held by the woman is a symbol of betrothal.

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    Young Woman with a Pink, ca. 1485–90
    Attributed to Hans Memling (Netherlandish, active about 1465, died 1494)
    Oil on wood; Overall 17 x 7 3/8 in. (43.2 x 18.7 cm); painted surface 17 x 6 7/8 in. (43.2 x 17.5 cm)
    The Jules Bache Collection, 1949 (49.7.23)