Memling, Hans (c.1430-1494)
The Virgin and Child with two Angels
1480–1490
Oil on panel, 36 x 26 cm
Museo del Prado, Madrid
The Virgin appears seated in a walled garden, an allusion to the hortus conclusus or enclosed garden, which symbolizes her perpetual virginity. In her arms she holds the Christ Child, who takes an apple from an angel’s hand, a clear allusion to the redemption of the original sin. On the other side, a second angel plays a viola of arc. The composition derives from a model by Rogier van der Weyden and is another example of the much-repeated Flemish subject of the Virgin with angels. Here, however, the delicate treatment of the landscape gives the work a particular charm. This is considered a work from Memling‘s mature period. (MNP)