Northern Renaissance Blog

 

The Arnolfini Portrait from the Northern Renaissance
Jan van Eyck, The Arnolfini Portrait, 1434, oil on oak panel, 82.2 x 60 cm (National Gallery, London; photo: Steven Zucker, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)


Background

The Arnolfini Portrait was created in 1434, I am not sure where it was created, but it is currently in the National Gallery in London. Jan van Eyck painted this oil painting and is known for the oil-glazing technique. Jan van Eyck was born in 1390, in Maaseik, Belgium. He played a huge role in the Northern Renaissance for his skill in including such detail to his work. 

Opinion

I think that this piece of art is rather interesting. There are a lot of little things that you might not notice at the first glance. All of the vivid details that Jan van Eyck added to the painting make it so meaningful. For instance, the mirror in the background of the painting.



Arnolfini Wedding (wall detail)

 In the Arnolfini Portrait, there is a convex mirror in the background, showing a wider perspective of the room itself. You get to see the back of the couple pictured, and can kind of see someone standing in the doorway as well. In each individual circle on the outside of the mirror, there are pictures of the Passion of Christ. Another detail added to the mirror, are the little streaks of gold paint on the right sides of the little circles, giving the illusion of light shining in from the windows. You can also see the beads hanging on the left side of the mirror, they look like he just took a photo on a phone. His detail to his paintings really bring them to life and show a whole story. 

Another big thing you notice in the painting, is that the girl seems to be pregnant.

Dress (detail), Jan van Eyck, The Arnolfini Portrait, 1434, oil on oak panel, 82.2 x 60 cm (National Gallery, London; photo: Steven Zucker, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

You notice the girls holding her dress up over her stomach. People also think that the green of her dress symbolizes fertility. She is in fact not pregnant in the work of art, it just appears that way. The reasoning to her having her hand on her stomach is that back then women were thought to cover that area to be polite. The type of dress she has on is also a rather big dress, she is holding part of it up, making it seem like she could be pregnant. People also thought that her dress might show motherhood in the Renaissance. 

Dr. Beth Harris. “Jan van Eyck, the Arnolfini Portrait – Smarthistory.” Smarthistory.org, 2015, smarthistory.org/jan-van-eyck-the-arnolfini-portrait/.

“The Northern Renaissance.” Robinurton.com, 2025, robinurton.com/history/Renaissance/northrenaiss.htm. Accessed 18 Feb. 2025.

Sibley, Gail. “Jan van Eyck’s “the Arnolfini Portrait” – a Close Look.” Gail Sibley, BFA, MA, 13 Oct. 2013, www.gailsibley.com/2013/10/13/jan-van-eycks-the-arnolfini-portrait-a-close-look/.

Comments

  1. Kylee C.February 21, 2025 at 12:51 AM

    That's interesting that the woman's hand placement is a polite gesture because I also though she was pregnant! the bold eye catching green is my most favorite part about this painting, the contrast between the dark background and the bold dress is so simple yet it brings the piece together.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Justina WassillieFebruary 23, 2025 at 2:21 AM

    I found this fascinating since reading through it, I got to see how descriptive the painting would show you, some details around it, and the focus of what the artist was feeling for the painting. Even with the smallest details, you can see how precise and realistic it looks.

    ReplyDelete

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