The details of this Jan van Eyck masterpiece and the precision with which it was made leave anyone who has the chance to see it at the National Gallery in London speechless. But there are many questions that arise spontaneously and are part of the mystery linked to this famous double portrait. My name is Clelia and today we discover Jan van Eyck's Portrait of the Arnolfini of 1434.
In a perfectly furnished room, a wealthy couple shakes hands affectionately. The reflections of their backs can be seen in the mirror behind them exactly in the center of the picture. There has been a lot of speculation about the identities of the man and woman in the double portrait.
Who are the protagonists of the Arnolfni Portrait?
It was long thought that they were the Italian merchant Giovanni di Arrigo Arnolfini and his wife, who lived in Bruges at that time. And for this the painting became famous as the Arnolfini's marriage. It is now thought that the painting always depicts an Arnolfini, but Giovanni's cousin and his wife. And in the center of the composition and beautifully illuminated by the light from the window, their hands touch in a demonstration of mutual affection and solidarity.
Probably the main purpose of this work is to emphasize the couple's wealth and social status in 15th-century Flanders. It is thought that many of the details used by the artist would have been understood by the educated public of the time, underlining their strong moral principles and beliefs. In addition, the proportions of both figures also underline their position in society. Their bodies are in fact elongated and emphasize the volume of their clothes and reinforce the impression of wealth and status.
Portrait of the Arnolfini, is the woman pregnant?
Most people who see the painting for the first time wonder if Arnolfini's wife is pregnant. And I've always been the first to be convinced! But apparently it is not certain that she is like that. This round belly was in fact considered a fundamental feature for women of the period and is present in other portraits of the time. To be honest, there are other small details that might suggest pregnancy.
At the couple's feet there is a little dog. Due to its association with loyalty and its reputation for being a faithful companion of man, the dog is widely used as a symbol. In this case, it stands between the feet of its owners, in a sense uniting them and reinforcing the concept of fidelity between the two.
However, the detail that makes the most chatter in the history of the art of this painting is certainly the mirror on the bottom. And it is famous for two main reasons. The first of course is the fact that it reflects four figures, two of which are the Arnolfini spouses obviously from behind and two unknown. They are thought to be the artist Van Eyck and an assistant to him or someone otherwise authorized to be present in the bedroom while working.
The second reason why this mirror is so talked about is due to the fact that it is a work within a work. Around the central mirror, there are 10 small roundels with the representation of the passages of the Via crucis, including the Crucifixion.
At the foot of the mirror below there are other objects in the room that cannot go unnoticed: Arnolfini shoes. They are left lying around on the floor to give a sense of hospitality and familiarity to the environment. And they correspond to his shoes on the left in the foreground.
There are also a couple of other details in the work. The first is the chandelier high above the pair. In fact, the one flame symbolizes the all-seeing eye of God. Along with this are other signs of devotion: the prayer rosary on the wall, the miniature paintings of the Passion of Christ around the mirror, and the sculpture of Saint Margaret decorating the couple's bed. Finally, the last detail in the room on which the eye necessarily falls is the Latin inscription on the wall with the date 1434 which can be translated as "Jan van Eyck was here". So we can be sure that the work is an original Van Eyck and it is not surprising that it is declared so blatantly.
00:00 Intro
00:39 Arnolfini
04:05 Details
06:51 Technique
08:38 Collection
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Art and the Cities is my personal blog and KZread channel about art and travel. Or better than art trips. I'm not only talking about art history but also about travel, museums, galleries, art market, love stories, books, exhibitions and much more.
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See you soon,
Clelia
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