Christ Blessing by Memling in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, June 2010

Christ Blessing
1481
Hans Memling, German (worked in Flanders), about 1430–1440 to 1494

Dimensions: 35.1 x 25.1 cm (13 13/16 x 9 7/8 in.)

Medium or Technique: Oil on panel

Classification: Paintings
Type: Religious - Saints

Accession Number: 1993.40

Memling was one of the major figures of early Netherlandish painting. The portrait-like conception of this painting was inspired by a medieval document that gave a physical description of Christ. Both the sensitive modeling of the face and the gesture of the left hand casually resting on the bottom of the frame create an illusion of space and depth. The painting is still in its original frame, an exceptionally rare survival. The date of the painting (1481) is inscribed at the top center of the frame.

Text from: www.mfa.org/collections/object/christ-blessing-35484