Madonna and Child, from The Diptych of Maerten van Nieuwenhove 1487

Curator: We are looking at Hans Memling’s “Madonna and Child, from The Diptych of Maerten van Nieuwenhove”, an oil-on-panel painting dated 1487. Editor: Isn't it amazing how serene this piece is? There is a palpable stillness; Madonna gazes downwards almost dreamily, a world away. Curator: Precisely! Commissioned for private devotion, its creation necessitated a material process that began with sourcing high-quality pigments and wood panels – likely Baltic oak, then painstakingly layering the oil paints to achieve that luminous quality. And note how Memling integrates details like the stained-glass window behind her, subtly referencing the patron's identity and status within the material culture of Bruges at that time. Editor: Absolutely, I adore those embedded clues into the life of the donor, Maerten van Nieuwenhove! And there's such an intimate exchange created by its diminutive scale... it is not just an object of religious worship but of personal solace. That apple in Madonna’s hand seems to almost vibrate, a small radiant hope. Curator: And from a material perspective, we must consider the economic forces at play. Memling, catering to the affluent merchant class, utilizes ultramarine made from Lapis Lazuli to paint her mantle. Consider also the labor involved to extract and grind it; this isn’t just color, it’s a statement about consumption and access. Editor: True; the deep blue shouts wealth, definitely. But still I am pulled to that soft light bathing them both. The whole composition gives me such a profound feeling of intimacy; as if we were sharing their silent communion, their private devotional bubble. It invites a slow looking. Curator: Indeed, the labor is intrinsic, both within and outside of the picture plane, making meaning through method and resources, through social class, patronage, devotion and faith. Editor: Yes... which, thinking about it now, deepens this sense of shared space; so moving, to witness not just their holiness but also the means of its making!