Portrait of a Man with an Arrow
Hans Memling·c. 1470/1475
Historical Context
Memling's Portrait of a Man with an Arrow from around 1470-75 is one of his finest portraits, the arrow identifying the sitter as either a member of an archers' guild — the civic shooting companies that were important social institutions in Flemish cities — or as having a connection to Saint Sebastian, whose cult was associated with arrows. The inscription 'Sebastian? Memlinc fecit' on the frame may identify the painter or the sitter, the ambiguity typical of the problems of attribution and identification in late medieval portraiture. The portrait's directness and psychological presence make it one of the finest examples of Flemish portraiture in any collection.
Technical Analysis
The oil on panel demonstrates Memling's exceptional skill in rendering flesh tones and textures with translucent glazes, set against a landscape background that adds spatial depth while maintaining focus on the sitter's penetrating gaze.
Provenance
British private collection, until 1895.[1] (Bourgeois Frères, Cologne), in 1895.[2] Baron Albert Oppenheim [1834-1912], Cologne, from 1895; purchased 1912 by (F. Kleinberger and Co., New York); sold 5 January 1916 to Michael Dreicer [1868-1921], New York;[3] bequest 1921 to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (acc. no. 22.60.45); returned 8 March 1933 to Michael Dreicer's widow, Maisie Dreicer Whyte [1889-1976, née Shainwald, from 1923 Mrs. Jardine Bell Whyte, and from 1935 Baroness de Kerchove];[4] (M. Knoedler & Co., New York);[5] purchased February 1936 by The A.W. Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust, Pittsburgh;[6] gift 1937 to NGA. [1] According to a letter of 17 November 1912, from Friedländer to Kleinberger in the Kleinberger archives held by the Department of European Paintings, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, under Bouts, _Portrait of a Man_ (acc. no. 14.40.644); information supplied by Lorne Campbell, letter of 28 August 1980 to John Hand, in NGA curatorial files. [2] Friedländer letter cited in note 1. [3] Information about Kleinberger's purchase and sale of the painting is according to the Kleinberger archives held by the Department of European Paintings, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; see the letter of 6 September 1979 from Mary Sprinson to John Hand, in NGA curatorial files, which was sent with a copy of the Kleinberger card for the painting. [4] Letter cited in note 3, which was sent with copies of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's original catalogue card for the painting. Mrs. Dreicer Whyte obtained the painting from the Metropolitan Museum of Art as a result of the contestation of Michael Driecer's will by his heirs. [5] The painting is number 1427 in Knoedler's Painting Stock Book 8 (stock numbers A1-A2680, January 1928-November 1943, M. Knoedler & Co. Records, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles). The entry is listed under Mrs. Whyte, and there is an added reference "A.S. Drey July 21 / 33." [6] The purchase date is recorded in Mellon records documenting the gift to NGA, copies in NGA curatorial files. The sale date is recorded in the Knoedler stock book (see n. 5) as June 1936; this could have been when payment was completed.
