Portrait of an Old Man 1470 - 1480

This “Portrait of an Old Man” was painted by Hans Memling, likely in the 1470s or 80s, using oil on wood. The thin, smooth application of the oil paint gives the surface a remarkable luminosity. Memling carefully built up layers of pigment, allowing for subtle gradations of tone and texture, and for a rendering of skin with the patina of age. This was skilled work. The pigments had to be ground by hand, the wood panel carefully prepared with gesso, and brushes were meticulously maintained. Oil painting during this period was tied to expanding trade networks, and increasingly sophisticated patterns of consumption. Pigments sourced from distant lands, were applied to Baltic oak panels, under the patronage of the rising merchant class. The cumulative effect of all this work –the mining, milling, crafting, and trading– results in an intimate, compelling image. When we consider the labor involved in making an artwork like this, we begin to understand its true value, and its place in the wider world.