Memling, Hans_Two horses in a landscape

Two horses in a landscape (an allegory of true love)

The prince on the white horse in this painting by Hans Memling is a little monkey.

It is an allegory of love, but its meaning is difficult to fathom as the work is no longer complete. It was probably part of a diptych.
The left-hand panel is in an American collection. It is a portrait of a woman holding a small flower, a sign that she is in love.
In this context, the brown horse is said to symbolise loyalty and passion; it gazes longingly to the left, where the woman is thought to be.
The white horse represents the cool, indifferent lover. It shows no interest in her, preferring instead to take a sip of water.
The little monkey on its back may symbolise selfishness.
Most paintings from the late Middle Ages have a religious theme. This work by Memling is an exception to this.

Hans Memling 1439-1494
He was most likely a pupil of Rogier van der Weyden and spent most of his life in Bruges.
As he was one of the city’s largest taxpayers in 1465, we can assume that he was very wealthy.
Memling is regarded as one of the leading Flemish painters. His paintings often have a more static quality than those of his contemporaries.
His work was known as far afield as Italy.

Boijmans Van Beuningen
Rotterdam
De Collection / Erik Beenker

Boijmans Van Beuningen
Rotterdam
De Collection / Erik Beenker

Photos
wikipedia