¶ … Van Eyck's The Arnolfini Double Portrait
The Arnolfini double portrait is amongst the best paintings from the Renaissance in Netherland. The portrait which is also referred to as the Arnolfini Wedding/ Marriage is a picture depicting a wealthy pair holding hands in their Flemish home's bedroom. It was drawn by Jan Van Eyck, in 1434 who was a pioneer of oil painting in the Flemish lands together with the likes of Roger Van der Weyden (c.1390-1441) and Robert Campin (1380-1444). The painting was done in Bruges at a time when the town was the leading trading center in Burgundy. The couple's identity is not certain. Some have speculated that the man in the picture is an Italian merchant, a Mr. Giovanni Arnolfini and the woman as his wife, Giovanna Cenami; but this is unconfirmed (Scallen, 2005, p. 29). The light in the painting comes from the window in the left of the picture and falls across behind the couple to the bed at the right. The couple themselves are lit by another source which is unseen in the picture (Kloss, 2005, p. 95). The majority of art experts believe that the painting depicts a private wedding ceremony and that the painting was likely a symbolic marriage certificate. However, some argue that that painting is much more likely a celebration of what was a close relationship between the couple or a celebration of continuity of their marriage. The Arnoflini portrait along with the Man in Red Turban (1433, National Gallery) and the Ghent Altarpiece (1432, Bavo Cathedral) demonstrate the significant contributions made by Jan Van Eyck to the Northern Renaissance School's naturalism and demonstrate the School's mastery of oil painting.
The Meaning of the painting
Patronage
The British in the course of the Napoleonic Wars seemingly acquired the Arnoflini double portrait. It was soon after taken to the seat of the Empire in London and offered to the Royal family who refused to take it. It was later purchased by then the newly-formed National Art Gallery at 600 British Pounds. It is now believed that the painting is worth well over 100 million British Pounds if it were sold at an auction.
Symbolism
The symbolism and iconography of this portrait is quite imaginative. Almost everything in the portrait seems to have meaning beyond what is depicted in the picture. For example, the wooden clogs lying on the bottom left of the picture could be a reference to the verse in the Book of Exodus where God commands Moses to take off his shoes from his feet, revering the sanctity of the ground he was stepping on. According to Crenshaw, Tucker and Bonfante-Warren, the removed shoes represent the sanctity of the actions in the bedchamber. The sign off signature by Jan Van Ecyk also seems to have another meaning. This is because instead of using the normal "Jan van Eyck did this," the painter signs of with an unfamiliar "Jan van Eyck was here." Even though the symbolic meaning of the use of this unusual signature is unclear, most art critics believe that there is...
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