Arnolfini Portrait
Eyck, Jan van
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Alternative Titles
Portrait of Giovanni (?) Arnolfini and his Wife
Giovanni Arnolfini and His Bride
Wedding portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and Jeanne Cenami
Date
1434Description
This work is a portrait of Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini and his wife, but is not intended as a record of their wedding. His wife is not pregnant, as is often thought, but holding up her full-skirted dress in the contemporary fashion. Arnolfini was a member of a merchant family from Lucca living in Bruges. The couple are shown in a well-appointed interior. The ornate Latin signature translates as "Jan van Eyck was here 1434". The similarity to modern graffiti is not accidental. Van Eyck often inscribed his pictures in a witty way. The mirror reflects two figures in the doorway. One may be the painter himself. Arnolfini raises his right hand as he faces them, perhaps as a greeting. Van Eyck was intensely interested in the effects of light: oil paint allowed him to depict it with great subtlety in this picture, notably on the gleaming brass chandelier. full view
Type of Work
Panel painting; PortraitSubject
Dogs, Mirrors, Portraits, Group, Self portraits, Weddings, Marriage, Symbolism in art, Portraits, Renaissance, Marriage customs and rites, Panofsky, Erwin, 1892-1968, Painting, Flemish --15th century.
Rights Statement
All rights reserved
Item is Part of
102171