Artwork
Portrait of a young woman
Portrait of a young woman is an oil painting by the Northern Renaissance artist Hans Memling. It dates from 1472 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Hans Membrane’s oil portrait, dated 1472, depicts a young woman rendered against a dark backdrop.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
No specific details regarding the woman's identity, social status, or intended symbolic representation are documented in the available sources.
The work is a portrait depicting a young woman, executed in oil paint on panel by Hans Memling in 1472. As a product of the Early Netherlandish painting movement, the piece functions strictly as a likeness of its sitter without explicit iconographic attributes or symbolic objects visible in the provided records. The subject is presented in a manner characteristic of the genre, focusing on the individual's presence rather than allegorical meaning.
No specific details regarding the woman's identity, social status, or intended symbolic representation are documented in the available sources.
Technique & Style
Created in 1472, this Early Netherlandish portrait by Hans Memling is executed in oil paint on a wooden panel. The work measures 23.2 cm in height and 18.4 cm in width, reflecting the intimate scale characteristic of the genre during this period. As a painting classified within the portrait tradition, the application of oil medium on panel support allowed for the detailed rendering typical of Memling's technique.
History & Provenance
The painting is dated to 1472 by its internal record, which aligns with the documented period of Hans Memling’s activity in Bruges.
It entered the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of The Cloisters holdings, where it remains located. The dimensions of the oak panel support are recorded as 23.2 cm in height and 18.4 cm in width.
The painting is held by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, where it is displayed at The Cloisters.
It carries the accession number 14.72.1, and its dimensions are 23.2 cm in height by 18.4 cm in width.
The work was included in the exhibition “The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Notable Acquisitions, 1965–1975,” held at the museum in 1975.
Overview
Hans Membrane’s oil portrait, dated 1472, depicts a young woman rendered against a dark backdrop. The composition focuses on her face and upper shoulders, presenting a serene, contemplative expression. The work exemplifies the Northern Renaissance’s attention to detail and subtle tonal variation, and it currently belongs to the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Hans Memling was a German-Flemish painter who worked in the tradition of Early Netherlandish painting.
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