Portrait of a Young Man with a Rosary
Hans Memling (Netherlandish, 1423–1494)
1485-1490
- Classification
- Painting
- Dimensions
- height 43.5 cm, width 31.5 cm, height 55 cm, width 42 cm
- Culture
- Netherlandish
- Museum
- SMK – National Gallery of Denmark
- Rights
- Public Domain Mark: SMK waives its rights in this photograph, as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the SMK – National Gallery of Denmark
About this work
The rosary tells us that the young man has been caught in a moment of meditation and worship. Even so, he is out in the open air. In the back-ground we see peasants tak-ing heavy sacks of grain to a mill while a single swan drifts along on the calm waters of a pond. An elegant couple ride by in another part of the scene. The landscape in the background places the young man in a contemporary Netherlandish everyday setting. At this time, realistic and commonplace elements were fundamental devices in art’s efforts to reach out to and connect with the viewer. To Memling, his native town of Bruges with its many churches, monasteries, convents and affluent merchants was the most im-portant market for his art. However, Memling also sup-plied altarpiece paintings to the Spanish court, where e.g. queen Isabella of Castile was a great admirer of Nether-landish art.
