Hans Memling

Hans Memling – Beginnings in darkness; painting workshop in Bruges 

Hans Memling was born in Seligenstadt between 1433 and 1440. Information about his life is scarce; his father was probably the wealthy citizen Hamann Momilingen, whose second wife was Lucia Stirn. Little is known about Hans Memling's childhood and the exact living conditions of the family, but the young Hans probably lost one or both parents in the early 1450s as a result of a plague epidemic. There is documentary evidence of the acquisition of citizenship of Bruges in 1465, where Hans Memling rented a large stone house in the Sint-Jorisstraat from 1466, which he finally bought in 1480. The neighbourhood was known as a centre for painters and miniaturists, and its residents included the famous book illustrator Willem Vrelant. Hans Memling would actually have had to become a freelance master in order to be allowed to sell his works as an artist without a guild, but instead, he registered with the Bruges guild and later employed assistants and apprentices in his workshop. There is some evidence to suggest that the German-Baltic painter Michel Sittow was a pupil of Hans Memling.

Influenced by Rogier van der Weyden and Jan van Eyck

It is difficult to sketch out Hans Memling's artistic career, as it remains as obscure as the rest of his life. Whilst Jan van Eyck is attributed as one artistic influence, analysis of his works suggests that Rogier van der Weyden must have had a direct influence on Memling's work. Nevertheless, Memling's own signature is unmistakable: his figures are less elongated, and the harsh brushstrokes of the Flemish master appear significantly softened in Hans Memling's work. His main work is considered to be the paintings in St John's Hospital in Bruges, the creation of which has been the subject of all kinds of pious legends that have been largely refuted by researchers. His painting of an old lady with a bonnet, which can be admired today in the Louvre, is also world-famous.

The Last Judgement - a masterpiece by Hans Memling

A magnificent demonstration of Hans Memling's art is the triptych The Last Judgement and is one of numerous interpretations of religious themes that Memling created. It was probably created between 1467 and 1471 and can be admired twice today: once as an original in the National Museum in Gdansk, whilst a copy can be found in St Mary's Church in Gdansk. It was actually intended as a gift for St Michael's Chapel in Florence, commissioned by Angelo di Jacopo Tani, who lived in Bruges. However, the ship on which the completed work was to be brought to Florence was captured by a Hanseatic ship and the triptych ended up in Gdansk. Even Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, and Pope Sixtus IV were unable to change this.

Hans Memling died in Bruges on 11 August 1494. He was married and had three children. The asteroid 9563 was named after him in 2002.