Virgin and Child Enthroned 1480

Editor: Here we have Hans Memling's "Virgin and Child Enthroned," painted around 1480, on a wood panel with oil paint. I'm really struck by the details in the fabric and the architectural background. What's most interesting to you about this piece? Curator: From a materialist perspective, I find it fascinating to consider the socio-economic conditions that allowed for such meticulous rendering. The pigments, the brushes, the wood itself – where did they originate? Who crafted the panel, ground the pigments, and prepared the oils? Each step involves labor and trade. How did the artist ensure that these material items accurately portrayed the message he wanted to show? Editor: So, it’s less about the religious symbolism and more about the production of the artwork itself? Curator: Exactly. Think about the cloth – that rich, deep red. To achieve that color in the 15th century would have involved considerable expense and trade networks. Someone was weaving, dying and trading it. These things are often overlooked, yet they underpinned the very possibility of creating this image and conveying its message. This reflects social relations and patterns of consumption. What do you make of the inclusion of what looks like different kinds of material within the frame, such as stone, textile, paper and paint? Editor: That's interesting. I hadn't thought of the materials as being so directly linked to global trade. Seeing it that way makes me question how reliant this religious image was on earthly, and sometimes, perhaps, unethical practices to spread the word of what it stood for. Curator: Precisely! It’s a useful exercise to remember that even artworks which convey certain historical narratives may contain within them material practices that counter its intent. Editor: Thanks, this perspective has given me a lot to consider, looking beyond the obvious themes. Curator: And for me too, to understand more about contemporary perspectives when examining materiality.