Virgin and Child
Hans Memling
c. 1485
Medium
Oil on panel
Dimensions
Framed: 41.1 × 33.4 cm (16 3/16 × 13 1/8 in.)
Classification
oil on panel
Department
Painting and Sculpture of Europe
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
16295
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This panel and a portrait of a man in prayer once hinged together to form a diptych, with the Virgin and Child on the left and the portrait of a man facing her on the right. The condition of the portrait is very poor, while its reverse—featuring an image of Saint Anthony of Padua—is well preserved. It is painted in grisaille, a technique that mimics sculpture through monochromatic shades of beige and gray. This outer panel would have been visible when the diptych was closed and served as a trans...