The Memling Museum - Bruges

This museum is part of the St.John's Hospital complex. Inside, the old hospital infirmary can be visited as well as the old pharmacy. In the former chapel of the Hospital six paintings by Hans Memling are exposed.

One of the masterpieces is the Shrine of St. Ursula. The wooden shrine, which contains the relics of St. Ursula, looks like the earlier metal shrines that were produced in the preceding centuries. In six bow-arched panels, Memling tells the history of Ursula. The two front panels show St.Ursula accompanied by 10 virgins, each representing 1.000 virgins (see picture below) , and Our Blessed Lady in the presence of two hospital sisters (Jossine van Dudzele and Anna van den Moortele). Memling made the shrine before 1489. It replaced an older shrine which is still in the St. John's Hospital)

The other masterpiece is the 'Altarpiece of Saint-John the Baptist and Saint-John the Evangelist', made in 1479 and painted for the main altar in the church of the hospital. In the central panel is the Holy Virgin holding the child Jesus on her lap. Jesus puts a ring around the finger of Saint Catherine of Sienna. The woman sitting on the right of the Holy Virgin is Saint Catherine of Alexandria. The left side panel shows the story of Saint John the Baptist who was decapitated by order of Salome. The right side-panel illustrates the Apocalypse as told by Saint-John the Evangelist.

The four other works are smaller, but certainly not less in value. There are two more religious triptychs: 'The adoration of the Magi' made in 1479 and 'The lamentation of Christ' from 1480.

Two smaller paintings also show that Memling was a great portrait painter. In 1480 Memling made the 'Woman's portrait' or a.k.a. the 'Sibylla Sambetha' which shows an anonymous woman in typical late 15th century clothes (see top of page). The other portrait is not anonymous and is called 'Diptych with Our Blessed Lady and Maarten van Nieuwenhoven' from 1487. Maarten van Nieuwenhoven was a member of a rich and important Bruges family. He is shown here at the age of 23. Later he became Lord Mayor of Bruges.

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