Arnolfini Portrait

The Arnolfini Portrait (also: Giovanni Arnolfini and his Wife Giovanna Cenami or The Marriage of Giovanni Arnolfini ) is a painting by the Flemish painter Jan van Eyck. It was created in Bruges in 1434 and can now be seen in the National Gallery in London.

Background

The title of the picture was not immediately known until almost 100 years later, he appeared in an inventory on; there it was: Large panel, Hernoult le Fin with his wife in a room. " Hernoult le Fin" was the Frenchified form of the Italian name " Arnolfini ". The Arnolfini were a great merchant and banking family, who maintained a branch in Bruges at the time.

Image interpretation

In the picture man and woman shake hands at the same time the man has his right raised to swear, for that time a typical gesture in the context of a marriage. More specifically, it is a morganatic marriage, marriage also named to the left hand ( the scene makes it clear enough Giovanni Arnolfini and his wife left hand ). This form of marriage was regularly used when two persons of the state gave the promise of marriage. Your right hand is open in his left; that is, they are down to him, he marries her. The blessing hand and the hand pose of man is comparable to analog representations of Jesus as the ruler of the world in medieval frescoes. Therefore probably also dates the frontal representation Arnolfini.

Whether the woman is pregnant, is not known. Although the curve of her belly speaks for it, but it was quite typical of van Eyck and his contemporary fellow painters, the fertility of women particularly emphasized by this representation, without thereby are pregnant should be indicated (at this time was the marriage of a manifestly pregnant woman anyway unthinkable ). Her graceful posture is equal to Madonna and also the color of clothing - including white and blue - are marian and colors and therefore symbolize innocence and purity. In women, it is probably not a portrait, but a Madonna-like idealization, with the facial features of the man quite Giovanni Arnolfini can be assigned. The woman's veil is a further indication of the marriage. In times past, married women wore their hair covered, as supported open and uncovered hair was considered seductive.

Different symbols complete the picture:

• Wealth: Empire is the household, which can be seen not only in the fur-trimmed clothing, but also to the inventory (glass windows with so-called bull's-eye, Anatolian carpet, orange fruits on the cabinet in front of the window sill ).
• Candle: On the chandelier only burns a candle, because in the Middle Ages a large candle was usually carried in front or handed over to the bride by the groom at wedding trains. The single flame represents the all-seeing Christ, the witness when placing the Ehegelöbnisses (cf. Eternal Light in Churches = Presence of God). Candles themselves are another symbol of prosperity, as well as the very elaborate brass chandelier.
• Dog: The dog - a Affenpinscher - is the symbol of marital fidelity, which can also be found on grave stones of married people at this time. The animal is not likely to happen to the woman's feet, because only the women were expected to total fidelity.
• Ground: symbolism also have the seemingly carelessly parked clogs: " Draw not nigh hither, put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground " it says in the Old Testament of the Bible. If two engaged couples the sacrament of marriage was donated, was also a simple wooden floor as a " holy land".
• Figure on the back of a chair: In the background on the right ( barely visible next to the hung on the wall brush) is a semi- hidden by the woman chair with a carved figure exists: it represents the holy Margaret represents the patron saint of expectant mothers. Speak for the purity of women's crystal clear mirrors and transparent beads of the rosary (the predecessor of the Rosary, to the left of the mirror hanging).

• Round mirror in the background: The shape of the mirror is typical of the Middle Ages; Mirror could be produced with the technology at that time only about curved, because by then all attempts to pour flat glass mirror, failed due to the fragility of the crystal plate. Witches were called these mirrors because they extend through the round bulge the viewing angle Eyck has this fascination in his paintings also housed ( the witch on the back wall reflects the beams, which did not yield the straight look at the picture ). Also you can see in the mirror, that other people in the doorway, perhaps the witnesses to the marriage, or the painter himself, while holding the scene. The frame of the mirror is decorated with tiny scenes from the Passion, another example of the richness of detail of the pictures van Eyck. The Passion scenes may have also served to banishment of the witches mirror. Taking into account also the other details in the room in the mirror reveals that the dog is not to be seen, though he would actually be visible in the mirror from this angle.

The signature of the painter is located above the mirror. The painter has deviated here from its usual formulation: He did not Johannes de Eyck fecit ( = made ​​) stock exchanges but Johannes de Eyck fuit hic ( = was here). It looks as if Eyck one of the witnesses of the wedding was. This gives the image a kind of diploma function, it is to document and thus to the wedding document.

Late Gothic Chandelier

One of the candlestick shown identical late Gothic chandelier is (with photo) described in: The historical monuments of the Canton train. He might have been part of the Burgundian booty.