Drieluik met de bewening van Christus | Musea Brugge Skip to main content
Tickets

Drieluik met de bewening van Christus

Hans Memling (schilder)
This is a Flemish Masterpiece
Listen
Use image
Current location
Period and date
(exact 1480) 15de eeuw

MASTERPIECE

As is true of all of Hans Memling’s paintings, the closer you look the more details you discover. And, if you look closely at the female figure on the outside left of the triptych, you will see something extraordinary – she has a beard. The female saint is known by many names. In English she is called Wilgefortis, in Dutch ‘Sint-Ontkommer’. An unusual name for a saint, and why does she have a beard anyway? According to legend, Saint Wilgefortis was a pious princess whose father, a pagan king, wanted to marry her off to another pagan king in Portugal. Because she had taken a vow of chastity, she prayed to God to help her get out of the marriage (hence in England she also used to be known as Uncumber, i.e. unhindered). God responded by giving her a beard. The story has a sad ending: her fiancé no longer wanted to marry her, and her father, in his rage, had her crucified.

Details
Inscriptions
datum (bovenaan): 1 4 8 0
initialen (onderaan): A R
Dimensions
linkerluik, hoogte: 54 cm
linkerluik, breedte: 23 cm
middenluik, hoogte: 54 cm
middenluik, breedte: 46 cm
rechterluik, hoogte: 54 cm
rechterluik, breedte: 23 cm
geheel, gewicht: 60 kg
Identification
Collection
Category
Object name
Materials
Inventory number
O.SJ0177.I
Linked open data
Copyright
Musea Brugge is committed to making its data available as usable open data. Images of works of art which are not subject to copyright restrictions are therefore published under the Creative Commons Zero licence. These may be used freely.

Search the Museum Library catalogue