Ghent Altarpiece

Ghent Altarpiece
Jan van Eyck / Presumably Hubert van Eyck · Public domain · source
Title	Ghent Altarpiece
Artist	Hubert van Eyck and Jan van Eyck
Year	1432
Medium	Oil on oak panel
Movement	Netherlandish Renaissance
Height	350
Width	223
Museum	St Bavo's Cathedral

Ghent Altarpiece is a masterpiece of Early Netherlandish art created by the Van Eyck brothers, Hubert van Eyck and Jan van Eyck, in the 15th century. The altarpiece is considered one of the most significant works of the Northern Renaissance, alongside Hieronymus Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights and Rogier van der Weyden's Descent from the Cross. It is housed in the St Bavo's Cathedral in Ghent, Belgium, where it is seen by thousands of visitors each year, including those who come to see the Ghent Festivities and the Ghent University. The altarpiece has been the subject of extensive study and admiration by art historians, including Erwin Panofsky and Max Jakob Friedländer, who have written about its connections to the Court of Philip the Good and the Burgundian Netherlands.

History

The creation of the altarpiece is attributed to the Van Eyck brothers, who were renowned artists of their time, known for their work on the Turin-Milan Hours and the Arnolfini Portrait. The altarpiece was commissioned by Joos Vijd and his wife, Lysbette Borluut, who were wealthy merchants and patrons of the arts, similar to Philip the Good and Isabella of Portugal. The work was completed in 1432, and it is believed to have been painted in the Van Eyck brothers' workshop in Bruges, where they also worked on the Portrait of a Young Man and the Portrait of Jan de Leeuw. The altarpiece has undergone several restorations and conservation efforts over the years, including those led by the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage and the Getty Conservation Institute, with the support of organizations like the Flemish Government and the King Baudouin Foundation.

Composition

The altarpiece is a complex composition, consisting of multiple panels that depict various scenes from the Bible and the lives of Christian saints, including Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist. The central panel features the Adoration of the Lamb, which is surrounded by panels depicting the Annunciation, the Visitation, and the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple. The altarpiece also includes portraits of the donors, Joos Vijd and Lysbette Borluut, who are shown kneeling in prayer, similar to the portraits in the Rothschild Prayerbook and the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry. The composition is characterized by its use of symbolism and allegory, which was influenced by the works of Meister Eckhart and the Devotio Moderna movement, and has been studied by scholars like Emile Mâle and Henri Pirenne.

Iconography

The altarpiece is rich in iconography, with numerous symbols and allusions to Christian theology and Biblical themes, including the Apocalypse and the Book of Revelation. The central panel features the Lamb of God, which is a symbol of Jesus Christ and his sacrifice, as described in the works of Thomas Aquinas and Dante Alighieri. The surrounding panels depict various saints and angels, including Saint Michael and Saint Gabriel, who are shown in elaborate gothic attire, similar to the costumes in the Tapestry of the Apocalypse and the Très Belles Heures de Notre-Dame. The altarpiece also includes references to the Eucharist and the Last Judgment, which were central themes in the Catholic Church during the Middle Ages, and have been studied by scholars like Jacques Le Goff and Georges Duby.

Conservation

The altarpiece has undergone several conservation efforts over the years, including a major restoration project in the 1950s led by the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage and the Getty Conservation Institute. The project involved the removal of old varnish and the consolidation of the paint layers, as well as the repair of damaged panels, with the support of organizations like the Flemish Government and the King Baudouin Foundation. The altarpiece is now considered to be in a stable condition, although it continues to be monitored and conserved by experts from institutions like the National Gallery of Art and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The conservation efforts have been influenced by the work of Vincent van Gogh and the Impressionist movement, as well as the Abstract Expressionism movement, which has been studied by scholars like Meyer Schapiro and Harold Rosenberg.

Provenance

The altarpiece has a complex provenance, having been owned by several individuals and institutions over the years, including the Dukes of Burgundy and the Habsburgs. It was originally housed in the St Bavo's Cathedral in Ghent, where it remained until the French Revolution, when it was confiscated by the French government and taken to the Louvre Museum in Paris. The altarpiece was later returned to Ghent and is now housed in the St Bavo's Cathedral, where it is seen by thousands of visitors each year, including those who come to see the Ghent Festivities and the Ghent University. The altarpiece has been the subject of extensive study and admiration by art historians, including Erwin Panofsky and Max Jakob Friedländer, who have written about its connections to the Court of Philip the Good and the Burgundian Netherlands, as well as its influence on artists like Hans Memling and Quentin Massys. Category:Paintings