History of Western Art 1: Gothic Art (18 of 23)

History of Western Art

Apparently, although some analysts believe the two figures to be Van Eyck himself and his wife.
Whoever the man and woman depicted actually were, ''The Betrothal of the Arnolfini'' now on display in London's National Gallery, triumphantly asserts van Eyck's abilities.
in the case of the Arnolfini marriage what we are witnessing, it what could be described without exaggeration as a catalogue of textures from the wood of the floorboards, of the bedroom, to the richness of the fabrics and the transparency of the glass and the hard adamante sheen mirror.
The painting is essentially an allegory of the marriage as well as a depiction of it, almost certainly Jan van Eyck is painting what he actually witnessed.
The inscription over the mirror in Latin 'Johannes de ein fut eik' was here and the date 1434 and if we look in the mirror, we can see two reflected figures in it as well as Arnolfini, so perhaps he is one of the witnesses.

It is full of symbols of the allegory of the sanity of marriage, the fruit on the windowsill signifies the innocence of man before fall, and the single candle burning in the chandelier signifies the both the all Seeing Eye of christ and the sanctity of the marriage oath.
It is not a large work.
It is the sheer density of motifs, which would certainly show that it is a typically northern work.
And of course it has all the magnificence of Van Eycks' well-painted technique with the translucent glazes, which not only give a wonderful depth of colour but also give an extremely durable.