Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and his Wife

Jan van Eyck, 1434

oil on oak, 82.2 × 60 cm

National Gallery, London

The Arnolfini Portrait (full title: Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and his Wife) is a 1434 painting by Jan van Eyck. Download high resolution version (750x1028, 80 KB)The Arnolfini Wedding Source: http://artyzm. ... This article contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... Events May 30, Battle of Lipany in the Hussite Wars Jan van Eyck paints the wedding of Giovanni Arnoflini The Honorable Passing of Arms at the bridge of Obrigo The Portuguese reach Cape Bojador in Western Sahara. ... The National Gallery from Trafalgar Square The National Gallery is an art gallery in London, located on the north side of Trafalgar Square. ... Events May 30, Battle of Lipany in the Hussite Wars Jan van Eyck paints the wedding of Giovanni Arnoflini The Honorable Passing of Arms at the bridge of Obrigo The Portuguese reach Cape Bojador in Western Sahara. ... The Mona Lisa is perhaps the best-known artistic painting in the Western world. ... This article contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ...

This painting is a portrait of Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini and his wife Giovanna Cenami in a Flemish bedchamber. It is one of the most unique and complex paintings in Western art history. Currently part of the collection of the National Gallery in London (which acquired it in 1842), van Eyck executed the work with oil on oak panel in 1434. Roman-Egyptian funeral portrait of a young boy A portrait is a painting, photograph, or other artistic representation of a person. ... Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini (c. ... // Medieval art Main article: Medieval art Most surviving art from the Medieval period was religious in focus, often funded by the Church, powerful ecclesiastical individuals such as bishops, communal groups such as abbeys, or wealthy secular patrons. ... The National Gallery from Trafalgar Square The National Gallery is an art gallery in London, located on the north side of Trafalgar Square. ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... 1842 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Oil painting is done on surfaces with pigment ground into a medium of oil - especially in early modern Europe, linseed oil. ...

Scholarly debate

There is considerable debate regarding whether or not the portrait is intended as a record of the marriage of the two primary figures. For instance, "Jan van Eyck's 'Arnolfini' Portrait", an article by Erwin Panofsky published in 1934 in the Burlington Magazine, argued that it was painted as a legal document witnessing a marriage. Art historian Edwin Hall has challenged Panofsky's idea that this painting is a marriage and instead feels that it is a betrothal. Erwin Panofsky (1892-1968) was a German art historian and essayist often credited with the founding of the academic iconography. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Burlington Magazine is a monthly magazine to the fine and decorative arts. ...

Symbolism

• The placement of the two figures suggests conventional gender roles – the woman stands near the bed and well into the room, symbolic of her role as the caretaker, whereas the man stands near the open window, symbolic of the outside world. Giovanni looks directly out at the viewer, his wife gazes obediently at her husband.

• The oranges on the chest below the window may refer to fertility and symbolize the purity and innocence that reigned in the Garden of Eden before the Fall of Man. They are also a token of prosperity, since these fruits could be afforded only by the wealthy few.

• The cast-aside clogs are possibly a gesture of respect for the wedding ceremony and also indicate that this event is taking place on holy ground. Husbands traditionally presented brides with clogs.

• The little dog symbolizes fidelity.

• The green of the woman’s dress symbolises hope, possibly the hope of becoming a mother and her white cap signifies purity.

• Behind the pair, the curtains of the marriage bed have been opened, depicting that the couple have been visited and blessed by the Trinity. The red curtains allude to the physical act of love, the carnal union of the married couple.

• The contrast between red and green, which appear side by side in the painting, suggest the coming together of opposites.

• The single candle in the left rear holder of the ornate seven-branched chandelier, is possibly the candle that the bride gave to the groom. This was a traditional Flemish marriage custom. Oddly lit in broad daylight, the candle alludes to the ever-present light of God.

• On the bedpost is a tiny ornament of the statue of Saint Margaret, patron saint of childbirth, and from that hangs a brush which symbolic of domestic care. Furthermore, the brush and the rosary (a popular wedding gift) appearing together on either side of the mirror may also allude to the dual Christian injunctions ora et labora (pray and work).

• The inscription above the mirror announces that Johannes de Eyck fuit hic (Jan van Eyck was here), that he was there to capture the wedding. The artist signature is lettered in flourished script normally used for legal documents. The picture’s purpose, then, seems to have been to record and sanctify this marriage and thus acting as a marriage certificate.

• The small medallions set into the mirror frame show tiny scenes from the Passion of Christ and represent God’s promise of salvation for the figures reflected on the mirror’s convex surface, which in turn, represent the eye of the Christian God observing the vows of the wedding.

• A spotless mirror was itself an established symbol of Mary, referring to the Holy Virgin’s immaculate conception and purity.

A bagpiper in military uniform. ...

Details

The convex mirror at the back of the room reflects two figures in the doorway. One may be the painter himself. Some scholars believe that the mirror was painted like this to reflect the presence of two other people in the room, proving that the requisite number of witnesses were present to make the wedding legal. In mathematics, an object is convex if for any pair of points within the object, any point on the straight line segment that joins them is also within the object. ... A mirror is a surface with good specular reflection that is smooth enough to form an image. ...

By applying layer after layer of translucent thin glazes, van Eyck created a painting with an almost reflective surface. The intense glowing colours also help to highlight the realism and underscore the material wealth and opulence of Arnolfini’s world. He took advantage of the longer drying time (than compared to tempera) of the new oil medium to blend colours and to achieve subtle variations in light and shade so as to heighten the illusion of three-dimensional forms. He carefully distinguished textures and manages to capture surface appearance precisely. Also, he rendered effects of both direct and diffused light by depicting the light from the window on the left reflecting off various surfaces.

Trivia

In Russia, the portrait has become notorious on account of Arnolfini's physical resemblance to President Putin. Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (Russian: Владимир Владимирович Путин   pronunciation?; born October 7, 1952) is a Russian politician and the current President of the Russian Federation. ...

See also

• Early Renaissance painting

Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and Wife by Jan van Eyck (1434). ...

External links

• The Arnolfini Portrait on the National Gallery website
• Mystery of the Marriage
• Erwin Panofsky and The Arnolfini Portrait
• The Arnolfini double portrait: a simple solution - Critical Essay
• Portraits of a Marriage

Pictures

• Larger picture: The Arnolfini Portrait
• Picture: Detail of the mirror
• Picture: Detail of the statue of Saint Margaret and the artist's signature
• Picture: Detail of the chandelier