Portrait of an Old Woman

Artwork: Portrait of an Old Woman (detail)

Artist: Hans Memling

Created: c. 1470

Medium: Oil on panel

Dimensions: 26.5 x 18 cm

Location: Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX, USA

“In the 1460s Hans Memling (c. 1430-94) established himself in the Flemish city of Bruges, where his talent was rewarded with a stream of commissions. Many of these were for portraits, a genre in which the painter excelled. At a time when Italian portraitists we’re still producing profiles, Memling poses the sitter for a three-quarter view. Typically, the sitter’s eyes do not engage with the viewer, looking down and to the side with an implication of piety. Memling habitually set his subjects in front of landscape, whereas here the background is plain greenish-blue. This portrait exemplifies Memling’s technical brilliance, especially in the highlights that model the strong nose and the folds of cloth. The composure that characterizes Memling’s art presumably sûtes his subjects’ view of themselves. There is a firm self-satisfaction in these features, as the confident awareness of virtue.” (RGbyd)

#1001beforeyoudiecollections #1001beforeyoudiecollection #1transcribedtext #historyofart #1essco