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Artist of German origin, active in Bruxelles and Bruges during the second half of 15th century, Memling often painted sacred scenes with a sense of serene harmony and decorative elegance. In this work splendour of the colours dominates the foreground, with the Madonna's throne framed in an arch and adorned with festoons of leaves, fruit and flowers held by putti: a set of motifs that clearly reveal the artist's attention to Italian models of Venetian art, while peculiarly Flemish is the natural landscape on the background.
The small size of the panel suggests that it was made for private devotion, perhaps commissioned by one of the inhabitants of the northern European castle in the background.
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