THe Life Of Christ Depicted By Memling And An Unknown Follower

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the other. In the following pages, I will give a clear and concise compare and contrast analysis of the two triptychs and the stories they tell.
To begin the analysis of the two triptychs, first take a look at the left panel of each picture. Hans Memling’s left panel, The Carrying of the Cross, portrays Christ having to carry the cross on his back to Golgotha. This scene closely follows Memling’s Scenes from the Passion of Christ, produced in 1470-1471. The unknown painter’s left panel, The Birth, is a depiction of the birth of Christ. Since the left panels are noticeably different and depict different scenes, an in-depth analysis of the two is needed.
Taking a look at The Birth, it is clear that the slim panel is broken into two scenes, depicting simultaneous events occurring after the birth of Christ. The foreground scene shows Christ with Mary and Joseph, cast in a barn, while the background shows Gabriel announcing Christ’s birth to the shepherds. In the foreground, the artist paints the barn in a round-about fashion, so that the entrance and the far left corner of the barn are clearly visible to the viewer, creating more depth. In the left foreground, Joseph, uncharacteristically depicted as an old man, dressed in red and holding a walking cane, is coming down a set of stairs. The origin of the stairs is not noticeable in the picture. Joseph’s face presents a look of worry, his eyes are drooping and he is scratching his bald head. Just above Joseph’s head is a burning candle, symbolizing the life of Christ, very common in religious paintings. In the right foreground, Mary is kneeling in front of baby Jesus, with three angels hovering around him. Baby Jesus is laying on his back, naked, his body is surrounded by golden rays, which symbolize his status. The scene is also occupied by three small angels, dressed in white robes and white wings. One angel is directly behind Christ, with her arms outstr...