Memling - Virgin and Child with Saints

Virgin and Child with Saints Catherine of Alexandria and Barbara
Hans Memling (Netherlandish, active by 1465, died 1494)
Oil on wood, ca. early 1480s, Overall 26 7/8 x 28 7/8 in. (68.3 x 73.3 cm); painted surface 26 3/8 x 28 3/8 in. (67 x 72.1 cm)
Accession # 14.40.634
Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913

Gallery Label
"The composition of this enchanting picture was adapted from a large altarpiece completed in 1479 for Sint-Janshospitaal in Bruges. The donor at the left is shown saying his rosary as he contemplates Saint Catherine's mystic marriage to the infant Christ. Saint Barbara, whose identifying tower is behind her, sets a meditative example by reading. The grape arbor is a somewhat later addition that indicates the increasingly popular devotion for the cult of the Eucharist."