Jan van Eyck was one of the greatest revolutionaries in art. He radically changed the way in which men look at the natural world. His artistic achievements were well-known in Renaissance Italy. Vasari, who wrote about Van Eyck a hundred years later, wrongly attributed the discovery of oil painting to him. Only a few years after his death in 1441, Jan van Eyck was being hailed on both sides of the Alps as one of the greatest painter of the age. Despite Van Eyck’s great fame, little is known of his life except for his last years. For the last 16 years of his life, he worked at the court of Philip the Good, The Duke of Burgundy. The Duke made use of his skills as both painter and diplomat, sending him on numerous secret missions. The works of Jan van Eyck are celebrated for their visual splendor and precision of detail. Their brilliant colours and magnificent definition are due to Jan’s refinement of the oil-painting technique.

1. Jan Van Eyck
c1390 -1441
First created 20 Jun 2005. Version 6.0. 23 May 2021. Daperro, London.
“He was the king of
painters whose perfect and
accurate works will never
be forgotten”
Jean Lemaire de Belge, 1504.
The King of painters
Perfectly reflected reality

2. In the 15th century, European painting
made a decisive break, with the past.
Changes took place in Italy and in
Flanders (modern day Belgium &
Netherlands).
In Italy, it centred around Florence. In
Flanders, it centred around the ports of
Ghent, Bruges and Antwerp.
Flanders was the commercial hub, the
financial and the cultural centre of
Northern Europe. It was among the most
prosperous places in Europe.
Panoramic view of Florence 2003
Guild houses Ghent 2002
15C Northern Renaissance

3. Man in Tuban (probably a self-
portrait). 1433. Van Eyck.
National Gallery. London.
A motto was found on this
painting ‘Als ich kan’ (As I
can).
Jan van Eyck was born before 1390 but very little
is known about his early life before 1422. He
moved to Bruges in 1430 and lived there until he
died in 1441.
He was one of the greatest and most influential
painters. His style was naturalistic, full of realistic
details. He belonged to the Early Netherlandish
School.
Van Eyck is the first painter who used and
mastered the technique of oil painting, which
transformed European paintings.
He was employed as a court painter by Philip the
Good, the powerful Duke of Burgundy, and
enjoyed patronage of the rich and famous. He
was also a diplomat and undertook numerous
ambassadorial journey for the Duke.
Jan van Eyck - c1390-1441

4. Van Eyck was years ahead of his time. He painted his masterpieces
even before the famous Italian Renaissance painters were born.

5. 1370 1390 1410 1430 1450 1470 1490 1510 1530 1550
VanEyck
Campin
Da Vinci
Michelanglo
Da Vinci 1452-1519
Michelangelo
1475-1564
Campin 1375-1444
Van Eyck 1390-1441
When van Eyck painted the Arnolfini
Marriage in 1434, it was over 70
years before Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa or
Michelangelo's Sistine chapel.
Van Eyck’s painting look far more true
to life than his contemporaries in Italy,
as illustrated by the portrait of St Paul
by Masaccio on the right a few years
before the Marriage of Arnolfini.
San Paol. 1426. Masaccio.
Italian. Museo Nazionale. Pisa.
Robert Campin, who also painted in similar way is included in the above for comparison.
Giovanna Cenami,
1434.
Jan van Eyck - c1390-1441

6. Van Eyck used lens to paint
Van Eyck painted the mirror on the right.
How is it possible that reflections in the
mirror appear so realistic, even before
the laws of perspective were discovered?
Between the late 1420s and the early
1430s, paintings in Flanders suddenly
look more photographic.
Painters in Flanders had discovered the
use of the lens to project images, helping
them to paint. They employed a device
called Camera Obscura.
Camera Obscura is a ‘dark room’ with an
opening for lens. Van Eyck may have
used such device.
The mirror in the painting.
Only 5 years separate the two portraits. Left. Masolino
da Panicale c1425. Right Robert Campin c1430.
A pair of spectacle painted
by Jan Van Eyck in 1434.

7. Comparison of
Netherlandish and
Italian Portraits
15th Century Portraits

8. Crucifixion
and the Last
Judgement.
1425.
New York Diptych

9. The New York Diptych – Crucifixion Details

10. The New York Diptych – Last Judgement Details

11. Ghent Altarpiece 1432

12. The Ghent Altarpiece, 1432
The Ghent Altarpiece is one of the greatest artistic achievement of 15C
(1432). The altarpiece is very large and was painted for the Cathedral of
St Bavo. It was began by Hubert Van Eyck, Jan’s elder brother, but
finished by Jan Van Eyck.
The altarpiece was painted on the Exterior and the Interior, which is
revealed by opening the panels.
Interior of the altarpiece
Exterior of the altarpiece

13. The Ghent Altarpiece - Interior

14. Choir
The Ghent Altarpiece - Interior

15. Ghent Altarpiece - Interior
Adam

16. Ghent Altarpiece - Interior
Eve

17. Music Making.
Soldier of Christ.
Just Judges.
Ghent Altarpiece - Interior

18. Knight in shinning armour.
Ghent Altarpiece - Interior

19. Ghent Altarpiece – Adoration of the Lamb

20. Van Eyck introduced extensive
use of landscape in his
paintings. His landscape was
an integral part of the painting
and his approach was more
naturalistic, carefully depicted
the light and shadows. This is
the detail view of a city in the
Adoration of the Lamb.
Background landscape.
Ghent Altarpiece – Adoration of the Lamb

21. The Crowd.
The Sacrificial Lamb.
Ghent Altarpiece – Adoration of the Lamb Detail

22. Note how well van Eyck painted
the jewellery. This highlighted
an advantage of oil paints over
tempera.
Ghent Altarpiece – Church Group Detail

23. Ghent Altarpiece – Worshipers

24. Ghent Altarpiece – Interior
Right top corner panel

25. When Ghent Altarpiece is closed,
the paintings on the Exterior tells
the story about the coming of
Jesus.
Ghent Altarpiece – Exterior

26. Ghent Altarpiece – Exterior Angel and sibyl

27. Angel
Ghent Altarpiece – Exterior Angel

28. St John, the Evangelist.
Ghent Altarpiece Exterior

29. It was Elisabeth Borluun and
with her husband Joos Vijdt
commissioned the Ghent
Altarpiece
Ghent Altarpiece Exterior

30. Van de Paele

31. Van de Paele Detail

32. Paele (right) was painted with bald
and wrinkled head, holding his
spectacle, which distorted the text in
the book. Below is the detail of the
costume of St Donatian and St
George.
The Donor Van de Paele
Costume and armour.
Van de Paele Costume and Armour

33. Van de Paele – Donatian and St George

34. Van der Paele, St George
Details of Saint George’s armour.

35. Van Eyck’s reflection
on the armour
Van der Paele, St George’s Armour

36. Van der Paele, Madonna and Child

37. A few years later in 1434 van Eyck painted these draperies and the carpet. What has
changed? His mastery of oil painting and the use of optics may have paid an important part.
Van der Paele, Costume and Carpet

38. Carving on the throne.
Van der Paele, Detail

39. Chancellor Rolin
Nicolas Rolin was Chancellor of Burgundy and Brabant. The three arches are probably
intended to symbolize the Trinity. Though the arches is a breathtaking landscape of a
city, showing the mastery of Van Eyck in dealing with perspective and space.

40. Madonna of Chancellor Rolin, 1435
There is so much detail that van Eyck put into his paintings. There are many paintings
within paintings.

41. Madonna of Chancellor Rolin, 1435

42. Madonna of Chancellor Rolin, 1435
There is a whole world beyond the window.

43. Madonna of Chancellor Rolin, Town and fields

44. Unbelievable details.
Madonna of Chancellor Rolin, Town square.

45. Madonna of Chancellor Rolin, The River

46. Madonna and Child.
Madonna of Chancellor Rolin, Crowning of Madonna
Angel holding the crown

47. The Arnolfini Portrait. 1434.
82x60 cm. Oil on Panel. Jan
Van Eyck The National Gallery,
London.
Arnolfini
Portrait

48. Most people are often surprised,
when they see the painting for the
first time because of its small size,
about the size of a bathroom mirror.
We see a rather ugly man with a big
hat holding the hand of a woman,
who looks like that she is pregnant,
with strange hair style and
headdress, in a small bedroom.
We start to wonder why this is a
masterpiece.
This is because we look at the
painting through our modern eyes
and judge it by aesthetics alone. We
ignore the historical context in which
it was painted. The Arnolfini Marriage.1434. 82x60 cm. Oil on Panel.
Jan Van Eyck The National Gallery, London.
The Arnolfini Wedding

49. Arnolfini was involved in the garment trades. From the raw materials that went into
their garments. It is plain to see how important the Flanders was as a trading hub
of northern Europe, with links to the Eastern Europe, England, the Baltics states
and the Mediterranean Europe. It also shows how wealthy the Flanders was.
Arnolfini’s Costume

50. Mr. Arnolfini
Arnolfini’s Portrait

51. The house was built with bricks, as can be seen
from the wall shown outside the window.
Underneath the window, with oranges that could
only have come from southern European. The
couple are opulently dressed in fur and expensive
white ermine. The Turkish carpet on the floor, the
hangings on the bed, the mirror and the chandelier
were all items of luxury.
Giovanni Arnolfini was a rich
garment merchant from Lucca,
Italy.
The lady was once thought to be
Giovanna Cenami, daughter of a
prominent Italian financier.
The entire painting is filled with
objects of wealth.
Details. Apple on the window
ledge and oranges on the table.
Details. Fur on Arnolfini’s cloth.
Fur lining on Cenami’ cloth.
Turkey carpet on the floor.
The Arnolfini Portrait. 1434. Jan Van Eyck.
Arnolfini - Display of Wealth

52. Mrs Arnolfini – The Bride with a Head Scarf of Lace

53. Mirror on the wall.
Chandelier Giovanna’s clogs
Giovanni’s clogs
Dog
Allegory is used by painters to
represent abstract concepts like
bravery, faith or royalty.
Religious symbols can be found
littered in the painting; apples as fruit
from the Tree of Knowledge, the
Carving of St Margaret patron saint
of childbirth, Prayer beads and a
single candle on the chandelier
signifying the presence of Christ.
In contrast, secular symbols were
also used; a dog for fidelity, a bed for
the consummation of marriage, the
blue sleeves & the white lining worn
by the lady denote purity, clogs cast
away representing the abandoning of
daily chores on this solemn occasion.
Arnolfini – Allegory & Cultural Symbols

54. The dog for fidelity and loyalty.
Arnolfini’s Dog

55. The painting tells us this was an important
occasion. Above the mirror, van Eyck
wrote “Johannes de Eyck fuit hic 1434”
(van Eyck was here) as witness to the
occasion.
So if this was a marriage, then why were
only four persons present, two of whom
only shown in the reflection on the mirror?
Shouldn’t we expect more people?
In the 15th Century it was customary for
the couple to exchange vows before
marriage; an engagement. The painting
depicts the moment when Arnolfini took
the hand of Cenami and raised his left
hand, as he betrothed (vowed to marry)
his future bride. In fact, the painting was
thought to be the Betrothal between
Arnolfini and Cenami.
Arnlfini became a councillor to the Duke of Burgundy
and was knighted in 1462. He died in 1472 in Brugge,
38 years after the painting and two years before the
birth of Michelangelo. Cenami died ten years later and
the couple perished childless, with no evidence that
they had raised any children.
In 1470, Arnolfini was sued by a woman, who wanted
jewellery that he had given her, returned to her. She
also sought a pension and several houses that she had
been promised. So it appears, Arnolfini may have
married Cenami for her money.
Jan van Eyck died seven years after he painted this
picture. He is now widely recognized as one of the
greatest painters who ever lived.
Giovanni Arnolfini, also
painted by van Eyck.
Giovanna Cenami
Arnolfini – Was it a Marroage?

56. Since the first version of the slideshow,
new interpretations of the paintings has
come to light.
A chance discovery in 1997 that
Arnolfini married his wife Jeanne
Cenami in 1447, 13 years after painting
was painted.
According to Margaret Koster the
painting is a memorial depiction of
Arnolfini’s first undocumented wife
Costanza Trenta, who died in Feb 1433.
Koster’s strongest interpretation is
based on the two candles on the
chandelier. One burning candle above
Arnolfini and a burn out candle with
dried wax above his wife.
Thus the interpretation of the painting
changes from a marriage to a betrothal
and to a memorial.
Burn out candle holder
with wax on its surface.
Arnolfini – Mystery deepened

57. De Lannoy
Note how well the coat was painted.
Van Eyck
other
paintings
Paintings and Portraits

58. Portrait
God on the Altarpiece. 1432.
Van Eyck’s Portraiture
Madonna of Joris van der
Paele (Detail - Paele). 1434.
Jan de Leeuw. 1436.
Van Eyck’s was a successful
portrait painter. His portraits
could be frontal, full-length
(left), or profile (above) or
half-length, three quarter
(right) or even double
portraits. He was among the
first to paint the three quarter
pose.

59. Van Eyck’s Portrait

60. Cardinal Niccolo Albergti. 1438. Oil on
wood. 34.1x27.3 cm. Kunsthistorisches
Museum, Vienna.
Van Eyck’s Portrait

61. Van Eyck’s wife
Van Eyck’s Portrait

62. Madonna in the Church (Detail). C1438-40. Oil on oak. 31x14 cm. Gemaldegalerie, Berlin.
Van Eyck’ – Madonna and Child

63. Relative sizes of paintings

64. Music – Bach, Sheep May Graze Peacefully
The diagram shows cabin with a lens. This is called a camera obscura. It is very likely
that Jan van Eyck used such a device or setup to create images on his paintings.
The End

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