Virgin and Child

Hans Memling Netherlandish
1480–85
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 635

The composition of this small roundel of the Virgin suckling the Christ Child was very popular, disseminated through workshop patterns that date to the early fifteenth century. Memling enriched the prototype by adding an extended wooded landscape. Roundels like this were often hung above the heads of beds, where they served as a blessing over a married couple or as a focus for personal prayer. The frame and painted image are carved from a single piece of wood.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Virgin and Child
  • Artist: Hans Memling (Netherlandish, Seligenstadt, active by 1465–died 1494 Bruges)
  • Date: 1480–85
  • Medium: Oil on wood
  • Dimensions: Overall, with integral frame, diameter 9 3/4 in. (24.8 cm); painted surface diameter 6 7/8 in. (17.5 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: The Friedsam Collection, Bequest of Michael Friedsam, 1931
  • Object Number: 32.100.59
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

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