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Virgin and Child with Saints Catherine of Alexandria and Barbara

Hans Memling Netherlandish
early 1480s
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 636
Memling adapted this composition from a large, celebrated altarpiece that he completed in 1479 for the Sint-Janshospitaal in Bruges. This smaller, more modest version was commissioned by an unidentified donor who kneels at the left. He is shown reciting his rosary as he contemplates Saint Catherine’s mystic marriage to the infant Jesus. Saint Barbara, whose attribute—the tower—is behind her, sets a meditative example by reading. The grape arbor above the Virgin’s throne was most likely added shortly after Memling’s lifetime, in the early sixteenth century, when the cult of the Eucharist became increasingly popular.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Virgin and Child with Saints Catherine of Alexandria and Barbara
  • Artist: Hans Memling (Netherlandish, Seligenstadt, active by 1465–died 1494 Bruges)
  • Date: early 1480s
  • Medium: Oil on wood
  • Dimensions: Overall 26 7/8 x 28 7/8 in. (68.3 x 73.3 cm); painted surface 26 3/8 x 28 3/8 in. (67 x 72.1 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913
  • Object Number: 14.40.634
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

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The Annunciation, Hans Memling Netherlandish, Oil on wood
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Hans Memling
ca. 1465–70
Virgin and Child, Hans Memling Netherlandish, Oil on oak panel, Netherlandish
Virgin and Child
Hans Memling
Early sixteenth century
Virgin and Child, Hans Memling Netherlandish, Oil on wood
Virgin and Child
Hans Memling
Virgin and Child, Hans Memling Netherlandish, Oil on wood
Virgin and Child
Hans Memling
ca. 1490–94
Salvator Mundi, Hans Memling Netherlandish, Oil on wood
Salvator Mundi
Hans Memling
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