Resnicks loaning 15th century painting to Huntington

[This post has been corrected.]

The Huntington in San Marino is receiving a loan of a rarely seen 15th century painting depicting Christ that was created by Flemish Renaissance artist Hans Memling. The painting, which was recently acquired by Lynda and Stewart Resnick, is scheduled to go on display Dec. 13, said the Huntington.

“Christ Blessing,” which dates from circa 1480 to 1485, will be displayed as part of two Memling portraits of Christ in the current exhibition “Face to Face: Flanders, Florence and Renaissance Painting.” The other portrait is from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

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The portrait acquired by the Resnicks had previously been in the private collection of one family for more than 150 years, according to the Huntington. The Resnicks -- who control such brands as Fiji water and POM Wonderful -- are billionaire collectors and cultural philanthropists.

Lynda Resnick is a board member of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The couple donated $45 million to LACMA in 2008 for the creation of the Lynda and Stewart Resnick Exhibition Pavilion.

The portraits of Christ at the Huntington depict the subject with right hand raised and left hand coming toward the viewer. The Resnicks’ painting differs in some respects, including a golden halo around Christ’s head.

A spokeswoman for the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens said the loan from the Resnicks will be for the remaining duration of the exhibition, which is set to run through Jan. 13.

[Updated: a previous version of this post stated that their will be three Memling portraits of Christ at the Huntington. There will only be two; the third portrait is located at the Norton Simon in Pasadena.]

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