Rome is devoting a major retrospective to Hans Memling, a major artist of the second half of the 15th century who became the most important painter in Bruges after the death of his Brussels master, Rogier van der Weyden. At the time, the city of Flanders was an important cultural and financial centre, and commissions poured into his studio, notably for Florentine bankers. Memling was an exceptional portraitist, so much so that his works influenced Italian portraiture during the Renaissance, and some even claim that Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa was inspired by the Flemish master. The exhibition features some fifty works, including numerous portraits, as well as small religious triptychs for travel and very large ones installed above altars, some of which have been restored for the occasion.
"Memling. Flemish Renaissance", until 18 January 2015. Scuderie del Quirinale. scuderiequirinale.it
