Born in Selingenstadt near Frankfurt am Main around 1440. Hans Memling probably studied first in Cologne and then in Brussels under Rogier van der Weyden. In 1465 he settled in Bruges, and in 1467 he joined the artists’ guild there. Memling died in Bruges on August 11, 1494. Memling’s patrons and clients lived all over Europe, but his most famous works were made for the Hospital of St. John in Bruges.

What was his rank? Who were his parents? Where did he learn the basics of his craft? There are no answers to these questions. Not even a record of Memling’s baptism has survived. In the second half of the 1450s, the young man was drawn to the road. At first, he was going to stay in Cologne. We can confidently speak of the influence of two Cologne masters on the young artist – Stefan Lochner and an unknown painter, commonly called the ‹‹Master of Saint Veronica››.

Thus, our hero arrived in Brussels, one of the most brilliant cities of the Netherlands, already partly ‹‹well-versed›› in artistic terms. Therefore, upon arrival, he did not lose his head, but went straight to the workshop of Rogier van der Weyden. There is no documentary evidence of the fact that he studied in this workshop. But traces of studying with Rogier van der Weyden appear in Memling’s works every now and then. Rogier van der Weyden became famous back in the days when Memling was a child. By the time Memling arrived in Brussels, the rumors of his ‹‹Descent from the Cross›› had already spread throughout almost all of Europe. And there were no other significant workshops in Brussels at that time.

There is evidence that Memling was close to the court of Charles the Bold. This closeness can also be seen as evidence of his apprenticeship with Rogier van der Weyden, since a young artist, and a foreigner at that, was unlikely to interest the illustrious dukes. At the time described, the old master was living out his last years. He hardly painted anymore and did not have the strength to devote much attention to his workshop. Memling, thus, being Rogier’s most talented student, was the ‹‹pillar›› of this workshop. Some researchers even say that he actually headed it in the early 1460s.

Almost immediately after Rogier’s death, in 1464, Memling left Brussels and moved to Bruges, which became the final destination of his travels. In 1465 he was already a full-fledged citizen of Bruges, a homeowner and family man, then a member of the local guild of St. Luke. His life then flowed quite peacefully. From his wife, Anna Falkenare, he had three sons: Jan, Cornelis and Nicholas. In 1480, he bought a stone house, followed by two more for rent. His financial situation was very good. In 1487, the artist became a widower, and seven years later, in August 1494, he himself followed his wife into the grave and was buried in the cemetery at the Church of St. Giles.

The end of the 1460s – the first half of the 1470s can be called the calmest time in Memling’s life. He was rich, in demand, and respected. He even belonged to the ‹‹Brotherhood of Our Lady of the Snows››, which was considered an honor to be a member of, since Charles the Bold himself was a member. By the 1480s, Memling remained the only custodian of the old traditions of Dutch painting. And in general, the only major master in Flanders (Bosch was just beginning his creative career). This was no longer the ‹‹uniqueness›› that the master had once dreamed of, but a genuine spiritual solitude, albeit brightened by wealth and the veneration of his fellow citizens.