Arnolfini Portrait – Jan van Eyck

Arnolfini Portrait

Painting by Jan van Eyck depicting a wealthy Flemish couple in a domestic interior

Jan van Eyck

Northern Renaissance artist known for meticulous oil painting

1434

Date the Arnolfini Portrait was painted

Oil on wood

Medium of the Arnolfini Portrait

National Gallery, London

Current location of the Arnolfini Portrait

Meticulous detail

Hallmark of van Eyck’s oil painting technique

Perspective in Arnolfini Portrait

Linear perspective with upturned ground plane and two horizon lines

Flemish bedroom

Carefully rendered setting of the Arnolfini Portrait

Traditional interpretation

Wedding portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and his wife

Alternative interpretations

Memorial, betrothal, legal agreement, or gift for family

Dog

Symbol of fidelity

Shoes

Indicate holy ground

Single candle

Symbol of wedding night or God’s presence

Convex mirror

Shows two witnesses, possibly including the artist

“Jan van Eyck was here 1434”

Indicates artist as witness

Raised dress

Symbol of childbirth or contemporary fashion

Saint Margaret

Patron saint of childbirth on the bedpost

Gender roles

Man near window (public world), woman inside (domestic role)

Wealth

Shown through clothing, furnishings, and imported oranges