Hans Memling was the leading painter in Bruges during the last quarter of the fifteenth century, receiving commissions from patrons in England, Germany and Italy as well as Flanders itself. For the Romantics of the nineteenth century, he ranked even above Jan van Eyck as the greatest of the Flemish primitives. By the middle of the twentieth century, however, his exalted reputation had declined sharply under the shadow of his presumed teacher, Rogier van der Weyden. In 1953, Panofsky labelled Memling a major minor master, leading subsequent writers to consider him unworthy of serious study. It was only in 1994, the five-hundredth anniversary of his death, that the major exhibition on Memling in Bruges launched a veritable flood of publications on his life and work, finally granting him the recognition he deserves.This book contributes to the ongoing reappraisal of Memling by addressing some of the tantalizing problems that remain unresolved despite much recent study of his work. Beginning with the question of his training, the text follows him on his Wanderjahre from his native Germany to Bruges, where he became a citizen in 1465. It then considers his activities as a master painter in Bruges, concentrating on the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, including the work of such major artists as Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael.

Little is known of Memling’s life. It is surmised that he was a German by descent but the definite fact of his life is that he painted at Bruges, sharing with the van Eycks, who had also worked in that city, the honour of being the leading artists of the so-called ‘School of Bruges’. He carried on their method of painting, and added to it a quality of gentle sentiment. In his case, as in theirs, Flemish art, founded upon local conditions and embodying purely local ideals, reached its fullest expression.

"Divided into three parts. The first is a comprehensive biographical essay incorporating the latest research and including a history of the appreciation of the artist's work. The second ... is a complete illustrated catalogue of Memling's oeuvre, arranged chronologically. Each work is reproduced in ... color with revealing details and is fully described and annotated. The third section is an analytical review of Memling's achievement, approached from historical, iconographic, stylistic, technical, and aesthetic perspectives ... 500 illustrations, including 300 plates in full color"--Dustjacket.

Little is known of Memling’s life. It is surmised that he was a German by descent but the definite fact of his life is that he painted at Bruges, sharing with the van Eycks, who had also worked in that city, the honour of being the leading artists of the so-called ‘School of Bruges’. He carried on their method of painting, and added to it a quality of gentle sentiment. In his case, as in theirs, Flemish art, founded upon local conditions and embodying purely local ideals, reached its fullest expression.

Publisher description

This volume follows on from Pacht's work on the Van Eycks and their circle, to encompass the great artists of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Figures such as Van Der Weyden, Bouts, Christus, Van Der Goes and Memling, as well as lesser known artists, are examined in turn. With detailed discussion of particular paintings, style and symbolism.