{"id":8020,"date":"2021-11-23T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-22T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=8020"},"modified":"2022-01-07T14:06:54","modified_gmt":"2022-01-07T13:06:54","slug":"what-great-paintings-say-the-arnolfini-portrait","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/2021\/11\/23\/what-great-paintings-say-the-arnolfini-portrait\/","title":{"rendered":"What great paintings say: The Arnolfini Portrait"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

HISTORY OF ART<\/span><\/h1>\n\n

The Arnolfini Portrait <\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n

Jan van Eyck\u2019s 15th-century masterpiece has intrigued art historians for centuries, but what secrets does it contain?<\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n

The Arnolfini Portrait<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
by Jan van Eyck, 1434<\/h5>\n\n

A<\/span>t a modest 86cm by 60cm, The Arnolfini Portrait <\/em>\u2013 as it is commonly known \u2013 is far from the National Gallery\u2019s largest painting, but it is certainly one of its most intriguing.<\/p>\n\n

Not for nothing has it been described as one of the greatest examples of Early Northern Renaissance art.<\/p>\n\n

On first glance, the painting \u2013 oil on wood \u2013 appears to depict a wealthy couple in a domestic setting, the bed perhaps indicating that they are in a bedchamber. End of story? Far from it, says Dr Emma Capron, associate curator of Renaissance painting at the National Gallery, London.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThe Arnolfini Portrait <\/em>is completely unique,\u201d says Capron. \u201cThere is nothing else like it that has survived in 15th-century art. For a long time, it was thought to depict the Italian merchant Giovanni di Arrigo Arnolfini. But more recently, art historian Lorne Campbell has argued that the figures are more likely to be his merchant cousin, Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini and his second wife, whose identity is unknown. They all resided in Bruges.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Hidden depths<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

The pose of the woman as she deliberately clutches her voluminous green gown to her stomach has led many to conclude that she is pregnant, while the couple\u2019s joined hands could indicate that this is, in fact, a wedding portrait. Indeed, the artist\u2019s flourishing signature above the mirror \u2013 Johannes de eyck fuit hic <\/em>(Jan van Eyck was here) \u2013 has been interpreted by some as the artist bearing witness to the nuptials.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThe pregnancy theory was popular for a long time,\u201d comments Capron. \u201cBut her pose actually has more to do with showing off the rich fabric of her gown, and ideas of female beauty at the time.<\/p>\n\n

Women with prominent stomachs had a strong visual appeal in the 15th century, and these were sartorially emphasised with high belts and folds of fabric. By lifting her gown, she reveals the expensive fur lining beneath \u2013 possibly ermine or miniver (squirrel fur) \u2013 which is depicted in a white that would have been nearly impossible to achieve in real life. The focus on her stomach does relate to fertility, but it is more a demonstration of fecundity and an ability to produce an heir rather than evidence of pregnancy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\u201cThis is not a wedding scene, either,\u201d Capron continues. \u201cDuring a marriage ceremony, a couple would join their right hands \u2013 here, he holds her right hand with his left. What they are actually doing is greeting visitors \u2013 you can see two figures standing in the doorway reflected in the mirror behind them. What\u2019s more, they are not in a bedchamber: reception rooms often featured very elaborate beds \u2013 an expensive piece of furniture that could be shown o to visitors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Historically, much has been read into the other objects carefully strewn around the room. In the 1930s, art historian Erwin Panofsky used the painting as a basis for his theory of \u2018disguised symbolism\u2019, whereby each object has a hidden meaning. Paintings, he believed, could be decoded and deciphered: the oranges on the table represented original sin, for example, while the presence of the dog at the woman\u2019s feet could be read as a symbol of her fidelity to her husband.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cPanofsky\u2019s theories are very seductive,\u201d says Capron, \u201cand he, too, also argued that the painting was a form of marriage contract. But his ideas are not always grounded in fact. Once we begin to unpick the realism of the painting, it becomes clear that what Van Eyck has done is create an illusion of reality; something to be enjoyed for its exquisite detail rather than its hidden mysteries.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cThe portrait is a carefully constructed reality \u2013 a figment of Van Eyck\u2019s imagination and a product of his incredible brush and powers of observation. His elaborate signature, \u2018Jan van Eyck was here\u2019, in this context calls us back to that fact that, as a place only he has visualised, he is the only one who has ever been in this room.\u201d <\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

<\/div>
\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
1. MIRROR<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The two figures depicted in the ornate mirror are unidentified, but a popular theory is that one of them is the portrait\u2019s artist, Jan van Eyck himself.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
2. DOG<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The small dog is of a breed now known as the Brussels Griffon and, remarkably, was painted onto the portrait with no initial underdrawing.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
3. CHANDELIER<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

One theory is that the painting is a posthumous portrait of Arnolfini\u2019s wife: the candle on his side is lit, the candle on her side is not. The presence of the little dog at her feet, as is often seen on female tombs, has also been put forward to support this idea.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

\n\n

Words: Charlotte Hodgman<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

GET HOOKED<\/span><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n

The Arnolfini Portrait hangs in Room 63 at the National Gallery in London. Visit the website for more information on the painting, and how to visit: nationalgallery.org.uk<\/a><\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n\n

PICTURE CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Uncovering the secrets of Jan van Eyck\u2019s 15th-century masterpiece<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":8018,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ub_ctt_via":"","purple_page_number":"64","purple_custom_meta_purple_page_number":"64","purple_seq_number":"1","purple_custom_meta_purple_seq_number":"1","purple_source_article":"article_64-1.xml","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_article":"article_64-1.xml","purple_source_issue":"Christmas-2021","purple_custom_meta_purple_source_issue":"Christmas-2021","purple_external_id":"Christmas-2021-64-1","purple_custom_meta_purple_external_id":"Christmas-2021-64-1","purple_issue_code":"|0000090391||","purple_custom_meta_purple_issue_code":"|0000090391||","purple_android_product":"com.im.historyrevealed.102","purple_custom_meta_purple_android_product":"com.im.historyrevealed.102","purple_ios_product":"com.im.historyrevealed.102","purple_custom_meta_purple_ios_product":"com.im.historyrevealed.102","purple_web_product":"","purple_custom_meta_purple_web_product":"","purple_publication_id":"a2288b80-d22c-492c-8b11-acb0804789ee","purple_migrated":"","kt_blocks_editor_width":"","apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_article-theme":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":true,"apple_news_is_preview":true,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_article_theme":"","apple_news_sections":"[]"},"categories":[17],"tags":[55],"apple_news_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2021\/11\/caa73331-d7a6-4388-81d0-b90fb4a3a58b.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"4","apple_news_title":""},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2021\/11\/caa73331-d7a6-4388-81d0-b90fb4a3a58b.jpg",1546,2048,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2021\/11\/caa73331-d7a6-4388-81d0-b90fb4a3a58b-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2021\/11\/caa73331-d7a6-4388-81d0-b90fb4a3a58b-226x300.jpg",226,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2021\/11\/caa73331-d7a6-4388-81d0-b90fb4a3a58b-768x1017.jpg",768,1017,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2021\/11\/caa73331-d7a6-4388-81d0-b90fb4a3a58b-773x1024.jpg",773,1024,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2021\/11\/caa73331-d7a6-4388-81d0-b90fb4a3a58b-1160x1536.jpg",1160,1536,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/41\/2021\/11\/caa73331-d7a6-4388-81d0-b90fb4a3a58b.jpg",1546,2048,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Uncovering the secrets of Jan van Eyck\u2019s 15th-century masterpiece","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8020"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8020"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8020\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9812,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8020\/revisions\/9812"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8018"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8020"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8020"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistoryrevealed\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8020"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}