Van Eyck  Arnolfini Wedding Portrait
Artist: Jan Van Eyck (Flemish b. circa 1395, d. 1441)
Date: 1434
Dimensions: 33 x 22.5”
Medium: Oil on panel
Current location: The National Gallery, London
Period: Northern renaissance
Genre: portraiture

Quick Notes:
  • The painting is believed to depict Giovanni Arnolfini and his bride Giovanna Cenami.
    Giovanni Arnolfini was a member of an Italian merchant family that lived in Flanders.
  • Many aspects of the painting are symbolic. The dog symbolizes fidelity. The bed suggests
    the consummation of the wedding. The fruit may refer to the original sin of Adam and
    Eve.  
  • The carefully painted writing on the wall above the mirror reads “Johannes de eyck fuit hic
    1434” (Jan van Eyck was here 1434). This has led some to suggest that the painting
    served not only as a portrait to commemorate the wedding, but also as an actual legal
    document.
  • Some have erroneously written that van Eyck invented the technique of oil painting. In
    reality, the technique is centuries older, but van Eyck was one of the first to fully explore
    and exploit its possibilities. Notice his attention to textures and the subtle effects of light;
    both are hallmarks of Northern painting in the Renaissance.

Suggested Compare-Contrast Target:
  • Titian, Sacred and Profane Love
  • Vermeer, Officer and Laughing Girl


Writing Prompts:
  • When all of the symbols in the painting are added together, what is the overall message
    of the piece?
  • How is Van Eyck's style different from Italian artists from the same time period? (e.g.
    Masaccio, Piero della Francesca)


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