Jan van Eyck, "The Portrait of the Four Arnolfini"

"Portrait of the four Arnolfini" - a very curious painting. From one small picture made by Jan van Eyck's brush, you can learn a lot of interesting things. This painter could lure the skill of not only the artist, but also the philosopher-thinker.

"Portrait of the four Arnolfini" is considered one of the most complex works presented in the painting of the Northern Renaissance by the western school. There is a lot of mystery in this picture. We present you the work of Van Eyck "The Portrait of the Four Arnolfini". You will find a description of it in this article. But first let's say a few words about the artist who created this masterpiece.

A little about Jan van Eyck

His name is Jan van Eyck (years of life - 1385 (presumably) - 1441). This painter represents the period of the early Renaissance. Jan van Eyck is a portrait master who performed more than 100 different compositions on religious subjects. This was one of the first artists who used oil paints in his work. Below is a portrait of an unknown person. It was written in 1433. Presumably, this is a self-portrait. The picture is kept in the London National Gallery.

We do not know the exact date of birth of Jan van Eyck. It is known that he was born in the city of Maaseik, in the Northern Netherlands. The future master was studying with Hubert, his elder brother, with whom he worked together until 1426. He began his work at the court of counts in The Hague. Since 1425, Jan van Eyck is a courtier and artist of Philip III of the Good, the Duke of Burgundy. He valued the talent of this painter and paid generously for his work.

It is believed that van Eyck invented oil paints, although he only perfected them. However, oil after it has received universal recognition, and this technique has become traditional for the Netherlands. She came from there to France and Germany, and then to Italy.

Let's return now to a picture "Portrait of the four Arnolfini", which made the artist famous and still causes controversy. He is now, just like the portrait of an unknown person, in London, in the National Gallery.

Name of the painting

Its name was originally unknown, only a hundred years later we learned it from one inventory book. It sounded like this: "A great portrait of Hernoult le Fin in the room with his wife". It is known that Hernoult le Fin - the French form of the name Arnolfini (Italian). Its carriers are a large banker and merchant family, which had a branch in Bruges at the time.

Who is pictured in the picture?

It was considered a long time that the canvas depicted Giovanni Arolfini with his wife named Giovanna Chenami. However, it was established in 1997 that the couple had only married in 1447, that is, 13 years after the painting appeared, and 6 years after the death of the artist van Eyck.

It is believed today that in this picture Arnolfini is depicted with his former wife or his cousin with his wife. This brother was an Italian merchant from Lucca. He lived since 1419 in Bruges. Van Eyck painted his portrait, which allows us to assume that this man was a friend of the artist.

But we can not say exactly who is represented in the van Eyck picture. Many people joke about this about what is portrayed in the picture "The Portrait of the Arnolfini" by Putin (Arnolfini really has an external resemblance to him).

However, we drop the jokes aside and continue the description of this painting.

Creation Time

The painting "The Portrait of the Four Arnolfini" was painted in Bruges in 1434. At that time, this city was a major trade center through which the whole of Northern Europe traded. From Scandinavia and Russia, furs and wood were brought here, spices, carpets, silk were brought from Venice through Venice and Genoa, and oranges, figs and lemons from Portugal and Spain. The rich city was Bruges.

Women's Clothing

Arnolfini, pictured in the painting, was rich. This is noticeable especially in clothing. The wife is depicted in a dress adorned with an ermine fur. It has a long train that someone should carry when walking. In such a dress it was possible to move, only having a special skill, which was acquired in aristocratic circles.

Men's clothing in the picture van Eyck

The spouse is depicted in the mantle, which is trimmed, and possibly, padded, with a sable or mink, with a cut at the sides, which allowed it to act freely and move. On wooden shoes you can see that this man does not belong to the aristocracy. In order not to get dirty in the mud on the street, the gentlemen went in a stretcher or on horseback.

Burgundy fashion

In Europe at that time there was a Burgundian fashion, which was followed by the couple Arnolfini. This was due to the strong cultural and political influence of the duchy of Burgundy. Not only women, but also men's clothes at the Burgundy court were extravagant. Cylindrical hats and turbans of huge sizes were worn by men. The groom's hands, like the bride, are well-groomed and white. His narrow shoulders speak of the fact that he achieved a position in society by no means physical strength.

Room decor

The foreign merchant pictured on the canvas lived in aristocratic luxury in Bruges. He had a mirror, a chandelier, oriental carpets. The upper part of the window is glazed in the house, and on the table are expensive oranges.

However, a narrow city-like depicted a room van Eyck ("Portrait of the four Arnolfini"). In an environment dominated by a bed, as usual in all the city chambers. The curtain rose on it during the day, and received guests in the same room, sitting on the bed. He went down at night, and there was a "room in the room" - a closed space.

Interior details of the room

Representing the interior, van Eyck paints it as a wedding room. He adds a lot of hidden meanings thanks to a realistic image in the room of objects in the painting "Portrait of the Arnolfini Four". The symbols depicted on it are numerous.

So, for example, the symbol of the all-seeing eye of God is a round mirror that reflects the figures of two people who are not visible to the viewer, but are present in the room.

Oranges on the windowsill and low table hint at heavenly bliss. The Fall symbolizes an apple. Fidelity means a little dog. Shoes are a symbol of love and devotion of spouses. The rosary is a symbol of piety, and the brush is a sign of purity.

One candle in the chandelier, lit by day, symbolizes the mystical presence at the ceremony of the Holy Spirit. On the wall is read the inscription, which is intended to be highlighted by the artist: "Jan van Eyck was here". Thus, it is explained that this painter was in the role of a witness in the old Dutch custom to make a betrothal not at the church, but at home.

This picture is a visual proof of the wedding ceremony. In addition, it can be said that she is a marriage certificate. After all, the signature on the far wall documents the presence of a witness, in whose role the artist stands. This painting is one of the first in art, signed by the author.

Some details of the female image

In the festive, luxurious dress is the bride on the canvas. Only in the middle of the 19th century did a white wedding dress come into fashion. Her rounded stomach, according to several researchers, is not a sign of pregnancy. He, along with a small chest, highly stretched, corresponds to the existing at that time (in the era of late Gothic) representation of the standard of beauty.

The amount of cloth that is worn on this woman also corresponds to the fashion prevailing at the time. This is only a ritual gesture, according to researchers. He was intended, in accordance with the attitude towards marriage and family, to indicate fertility. Indeed, the painting "Portrait of the Arnolfini four" was written by the artist on the occasion of the wedding of the couple represented on it. However, the position of the woman's hand on the canvas allows her to be pregnant, although it can be assumed that with this gesture she only lifted the hem of her dress.

Marriage of the left hand

It can not be ruled out that in the case of Arnolfini, a marriage contract was necessary , since it is obvious that the speech in the picture is about the so-called "marriage of the left hand". We see on the canvas that the groom holds the bride's hand with his left, and not with the right, according to the custom's requirement. Similar marriages were concluded between spouses unequal in social position, and practiced until the middle of the 19th century.

The woman usually came from a lower class. She should have renounced the rights to inheritance for her offspring and for herself. In exchange, a woman received a certain amount after the death of her spouse. The marriage contract, as a rule, was issued on the morning following the wedding. Therefore, the marriage began to be called morganic (from the German word "morgen", meaning "morning").