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crown at his feet and resplendent in a deep- scarlet mantle—presides in majesty. To God’s right is the Virgin, represented, as in the Gothic age and in a small Jan van Eyck diptych (two- paneled painting; !"#. 20-10A), as the queen of Heaven, with a crown of 12 stars on her head. John the Baptist sits to God’s le$. To either side is a choir of angels, with an angel playing an organ on the right. Adam and Eve appear in the far panels. %e inscriptions in the arches above Mary and Saint John extol the Virgin’s virtue and purity and Saint John’s greatness as the forerunner of Christ (see “Early Christian Saints,” pages 246–247). %e inscription above the Lord’s head translates as “%is is God,

all-powerful in his divine majesty; of all the best, by the gentle- ness of his goodness; the most liberal giver, because of his in&nite

generosity.” %e step behind the crown at the Lord’s feet bears the inscription “On his head, life without death. On his brow, youth without age. On his right, joy without sadness. On his le$, security without fear.” %e entire altarpiece ampli&es the central theme of salvation. Even though humans, personi&ed by Adam and Eve, are sinful, they will be saved because God, in his in&nite love, will sac- ri&ce his own son for their sake.

%e panels of the lower register extend the symbolism of the upper. In the center panel, saints arrive from the four corners of the earth through an opulent, 'ower-spangled landscape. %ey pro- ceed toward the altar of the Lamb and the octagonal fountain of life (compare !"#. 20-2). %e book of Revelation passage that recounts the adoration of the Lamb is the main reading on All Saints’ Day (November 1). %e Lamb symbolizes the sacri&ced son of God, whose heart bleeds into a chalice, while into the fountain spills the “pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Rev. 22:1). On the right, the

20-10A VAN EYCK, Madonna in a Church, ca. 1430–1440.

A SECOND OPINION

Giovanni Arnolfini and His Wife In 1434, Jan van Eyck depicted Giovanni Arnolfini, a Lucca financier who had established himself in Bruges as an agent of the Medici family, and his second wife in their home (FIG. 20-11). Arnolfini holds the hand of his spouse, whose name is not known. That much is certain, but the purpose and meaning of the double portrait remain the subject of con- siderable debate, with a few new interpretations having been advanced just during the last several years. According to the traditional interpreta- tion of the painting, Jan recorded the couple taking their marriage vows. As in the Mérode Triptych (FIG. 20-8), almost every object portrayed car- ries meaning. For example, the little dog symbolizes fidelity (the com- mon canine name Fido originated from the Latin fidere, “to trust”). The finial (crowning ornament) of the marriage bed at the right is a tiny statue of Saint Margaret, patron saint of childbirth. (The bride is not yet preg- nant, although the fashionable costume she wears makes her appear so.) From the finial hangs a whiskbroom, symbolic of domestic care. Indeed, even the placement of the two figures in the room is meaningful. The woman stands near the bed and well into the room, whereas the man stands near the open window, symbolic of the outside world.

Many art historians, however, dispute this interpretation because, among other things, the room in which Arnolfini and his wife stand is a public reception area, not a bedchamber. One scholar has suggested that Arnolfini is conferring legal privileges on his wife to conduct busi- ness in his absence. Another thinks that this may be a memorial portrait of a wife who died in childbirth.

In any case, an important aspect of the painting is that the artist functions as a witness to whatever event is taking place. In the back- ground, framed by the arms and joined hands of the two figures, is a convex mirror (complete with its spatial distortion, brilliantly recorded; compare FIG. 22-40), in which Jan depicted not only the principals, Arnolfini and his wife, but also two persons who look into the room through the door. (Arnolfini’s raised right hand may be a gesture of greeting to the two men.) One of these must be the artist himself, as the elegant inscription above the mirror, Johannes de Eyck fuit hic (“Jan van Eyck was here”), announces that he was present. The self-portrait also underscores the painter’s self-consciousness as a professional art- ist whose role deserves to be recorded and remembered.

20-11 J!" #!" E$%&, Giovanni Arnol!ni and His Wife, 1434. Oil on wood, 29 90 ' 19 10 120. National Gallery, London.

Jan van Eyck played a major role in establishing portraiture as an important Flemish art form. In this portrait of an Italian financier and his wife, he also portrayed himself in the convex mirror on the rear wall.

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