Le Christ de douleur bénissant

Memling worked in Bruges in the 1470s, and Bruges then was a boom town, the northern hub where Italian bankers and merchants kept their offices. Small panels like this were among the goods they carried home. It is a private devotional image. Christ rises from the tomb showing the wounds of the Passion and raises his hand to bless, close and quiet, made to be prayed in front of by one person at a time. The oil technique that let Memling paint blood and skin and tears so convincingly was still a Flemish speciality. This panel ended up in Florence soon after it was made, where Italian painters studied it and turned out copies.