Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Some memling Trademarks
• Serenesymmetry,withlittlemotionoremotion
• Seriousfacesthatarerealisticbuttimeless,withblem-
ishesairbrushedout
• Eye-catchingdetailslikepreciouscarpets,mirrors,and
brocadedclothes
• Glowingcolors,evenlighting,noshadows
• Cityscapebackgrounds
Mary is flanked by the two Johns—John the Baptist to the
left, and John the Evangelist (in red) to the right. Everyone else
sits symmetrically around Mary. An
organist angel to the left is matched by
a book-holding acolyte to the right. St.
Catherine (left, in white, red, and gold)
balances St. Barbara, in green, who's
absorbed in her book. Behind them,
classical columns are also perfectly bal-
anced left and right.
At the center of it all, baby Jesus
tips the balance by leaning over to place
a ring on Catherine's finger, sealing the
“mystical marriage” between them.
St. Catherine of Alexandria, born rich, smart, and pagan to
Roman parents, joined the outlawed Christian faith. She spoke
out against pagan Rome, attracting the attention of the emperor,
Maxentius, who sent 50 philosophers to talk some sense into her—
but she countered every argument, even converting the emperor's
own wife. Maxentius killed his wife, then asked Catherine to
marry him. She refused, determined to remain true to the man
she'd already “married” in a mystical vision—Christ.
Frustrated, Maxentius ordered Catherine to be stretched
across a large, spiked wheel (the rather quaint-looking object at
her feet), but the wheel flew apart, sparing her and killing many of
her torturers. So they just cut her head off, which is why she has a
sword, along with her “Catherine Wheel.”
Looking through the columns, we see scenes of Bruges. Just to
the right of the chair's canopy, the wooden contraption is a crane,
used to hoist barrels from barges on Kraanplein.
Left Panel—The Beheading of John the Baptist:
Even this
gruesome scene, with blood still spurting from John's severed
neck, becomes serene under Memling's gentle brush. Everyone
is solemn, graceful, and emotionless—including both parts of the
decapitated John. Memling depicts Salomé (in green) receiving the
