Arnolfini Wedding Portrait

Jan van Eyck Arnolfini Wedding Portrait 1434, 32" x 23" tempera and oil/wood   Jan van Eyck's work is very acutely observed and painstakingly painted - he had training as a miniature painter A double portrait of the couple taking their wedding vows in their bed chamber Giovanni Arnolfini & Giovanna Cenani He was a wealthy merchant and financier from Lucca He swears an oath to the sanctity of the vows they take - A visual record of the ceremony loaded with objects symbolizing the sanctity of Marriage and their devotion to God   Arnolfini stands on the side of the open window - the exterior world in which men function she is on the interior side   - they have removed their shoes, indicating the holiness of the room the sacrament takes place in - dog - fidelity - fides Giovanna herself is seen as a symbol of purity - she holds her stomach out indicating her readiness to bear children - The open drapes of the bed suggest it's readiness O n the finial of the bed is a small statue of St. Margaret the patron St. of childbirth crystal prayer beads - piety - the broom represents domestic care - wife's duties - the oranges (the Golden Apples of the Hesperides) represent the conquest of Death - the omni-presence of God is seen twice: in the single candle burning and in the spherical mirror - the mirror also reflects the bride and groom as well as the artist and 2 witnesses - the inscription above it records Jan van Eycks name and fuit hic - "was here" - this is a legal term used by a witness RATHER THAN "Jan van Eyck made this" a typical way to sign a work of art   Jan van Eycks self portrait is very different than the self portrait that Raphael includes in "The School of Athens" - different attitudes toward the artist in north and south?   He may be acting as a witness as his signature also suggests The format of the painting is based in part upon 15th c. marriage practices and on images of the marriage of the Virgin - at that time marriage vows were typically exchanged in private - but this made them difficult to prove if any dispute arose regarding them - the 15th c. saw an increase in marriage dispute because of the commercial and economic climate of the time - the church promoted public marriage