Diptych of Maarten van Nieuwenhove

Hans Memling
Bruges (Belgium)
52.4 x 82.8 cm

Oil on panel
Musea Brugge,
Museum Sint-Janshospitaal, Bruges
O.SJ0178.I

This diptych shows, on the left, the Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus. On the right, you see the patron Maarten van Nieuwenhove. The work offers us a unique glimpse of a Flemish interior with a view of (presumably) the Minnewater (Lake of Love) in Bruges. In the window behind the Virgin, you can see the patron’s coat of arms. Maarten van Nieuwenhove himself sits, hands folded, before a window that depicts his patron saint. Before him lies an open book of hours, whose lock features his crest. With his mouth slightly open, he seems to be mumbling a prayer. At first glance, Mary and Child seem to appear in a vision, but a convex mirror behind the Virgin makes it clear that they are all in the same room. Jesus sits on a brocade cushion and grasps an apple that Mary holds out to him. The apple foreshadows his destiny: to die to save humanity. At the bottom of the frame the following inscription is across the full width of both panels: HOC OPVS FIERI FECIT MARTINVS DE NEWENHOVEN ANNO DM 1487 / AN° VERO ETATIS SVE 23.

DETAILS

Identification

Title	Diptych of Maarten van Nieuwenhove
Location	Museum Sint-Janshospitaal, Musea Brugge, Bruges (Belgium)
Category	Paintings
Subject	Religious, Portraits
Inventory number	O.SJ0178.I
Inscriptions	Left panel: HOC OPVS FIERI FECIT MARTINVS DE NEWENHOVEN ANNO DM 1487
	Right panel: AN° VERO ETATIS SVE 23.

Production

Creator	Hans Memling
Date	1487

Materials and Technique

Materials	Oil paint, oak
Technique	Oil paint on panel
Dimensions	Left wing, with (original) frame: height 52.4 x width 41.4 cm
	Left wing, painted surface: height 44.6 x width 33.6 cm
	Right wing, with (original) frame: height 52.4 x width 41.4 cm
	Right wing, painted surface: height 44.6 x width 33.6 cm

Linked open data

Permalink
IIIF manifest	https://dam.museabrugge.be/memling/manifests/manifest-17.json
Copyright	Musea Brugge is committed to making data available as usable open data. Images of artworks that are not subject to copyright restrictions are published for this purpose under the Creative Commons Zero license. These may be freely used.

Credits

The images were taken by the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK-IRPA, Brussels) on behalf of Musea Brugge.