This picture is of Arnolfini taking his wife in marriage. We as the audience are like the witnesses, and Arnolfini staring straight at us grabs our attention as well as shows who has the power. He not only has the power in the relationship with the viewer, but with his wife as well. It is interesting that there is this separation between them because this is supposed to portray such a unified moment. In the convex mirror there are two other people, one of whom we can assume is the painter.
The curtains are slightly open to signify what will happen. In addition, the fact that his shoes have been removed often signify this is a hallowed ground. The dog on the floor in front of the couple signifies fidelity. The small medallions set into the mirror's frame show tiny scenes from the Passion of Christ and represent God's ever-present promise of salvation for the figures reflected on the mirror's convex surface.
Van Eyck enhanced the documentary nature of this painting by exquisitely painting each object. He carefully distinguished textures and depicted the light from the window on the left reflecting off various surfaces. The artist augmented the scene's credibility by including the convex mirror, because viewers can see not only the principals, Arnolfini and his wife, but also two persons who look into the room through the door.
One of these must be the artist himself, as the florid inscription above the mirror, "Johannes de Eyck fuit hic, " announces he was present. The picture's purpose, then, seems to have been to record and sanctify this marriage. Although this has been the traditional interpretation of this image, some scholars recently have taken issue with this reading, suggesting that Arnolfini is conferring legal privileges on his wife to conduct business in his absence.
Despite the lingering questions about the precise purpose of Giovanni Arnolfini and his Bride , the painting provides viewers today with great insight into both van Eyck's remarkable skill and Flemish life in the fifteenth century.
An early sixteenth century inventory record apparently referring to the London painting identifies the man in the painting as: "Arnoult-fin. There were several members of this family from Lucca in northern Europe during this period. In cities like Paris and Bruges there were colonies of Italian merchant families during this period.
These families were actively engaged in the cloth industry and other luxury materials catering to the needs of the nobility of northern Europe. Many of these families also became involved with banking. Antonius Sanderus in the seventeenth century provides us with a view of the so-called Bourse or financial neighborhood in Bruges. The dominant buildings identified in the illustration are the Domus Florentinorum and the Domus Genuensium, or the Florentine and Genoese houses.
The account records of northern European princes have frequent entries recording loans given by these Italian merchants to help support the need for liquid capital to support the princely households. The Arnolfini referred to in the inventory is most likely Giovanni di Arrigo Arnolfini who was born in Lucca about He appears to have settled in Bruges by An entry in the Bruges Archives for July 1 of that year records that Giovanni made a large sale of silks and hats.
By at least , Giovanni was engaged in transactions with the duke. There was a large payment that year from the duke for a series of six tapestries with scenes of Notre Dame. These were intended as a present to the Pope. There is a record from listing a loan by Giovanni to Philip the Good.
Perhaps in exchange for the loan, Philip gave Giovanni the right to collect tariffs on goods imported from England that entered through Gravelines for a period of six years. This lucrative privilege was renewed for another six years. In , Giovanni became a councillor and chamberlain to the duke, and he was knighted in Giovanni died in and was buried in the chapel of the Lucchese merchants at the Augustinian church in Bruges, where he and his wife had endowed daily and anniversary masses in their name.
And, frankly, if we want to continue the reality TV comparison, this painting is a carefully curated portrayal to signify wealth—much like the opulence we see depicted in Keeping Up with the Kardashians. How do we know this couple was wealthy? The chandelier, stained glass windows, intricately woven rug, sandals, fur-trimmed robes, mirror, dog, and oranges are all signifiers of incredible wealth in 15th century Belgium.
Many of these images also do double duty, indicating not only wealth but also conveying allusions to religious and fertility motifs. The chandelier has one lit candle, which represents the seeing eye of God; the mirror is decorated with scenes from the Passion of Christ; and an unblemished mirror is also a symbol of the piety of Mary, Mother of God.
There are also rosary beads hanging next to the mirror. Oranges represent fecundity in art, as does the red bed. There is a figure on the finial of St. So who are the people in this intimate setting? They are clearly husband and wife, and for many years the painting was understood as representing a marriage ceremony, though not anymore. The Arnolfini were an extensive family of Italian merchants, with various members in Bruges at this period.
The most likely candidate is Giovanni di Nicolao di Arnolfini, known as Giannino or Jehannin, who would have been in his late thirties in The lady is probably his second wife, whose identity is unknown.
They may have been friends of van Eyck — he painted another portrait of the man at an older age Staatliche Museen, Berlin. A large round mirror hangs right in the centre of the composition, its convex glass showing not just the compressed and contorted room but also two men coming in through a door behind us. The first man seems to be raising his left arm and stepping down steps from the passage. Immediately above the mirror is a flamboyant signature: Johannes de Eyck fuit hic.
Are the men in the mirror van Eyck himself and his servant, arriving on a visit? Technical analysis tell us much about how the picture was made. Infrared reflectography shows that the underdrawing was done in stages.
In the first one van Eyck sketched in the figures, the main pieces of furniture and the basic architecture of the room, but left out many of the objects for which the painting is now famous: the watchful terrier, the chandelier, the chair, the beads hanging on the wall and the discarded shoes. These were painted in at a late stage. In the initial underdrawing, Arnolfini had a larger face and even odder features. His feet were in a different position, his robe was shorter and his hat larger.
His wife originally looked up towards her husband and her features were lower, so her forehead seemed even higher. Arnolfini must have been a strange-looking man, and in the second underdrawing van Eyck improved his proportions and idealised his features. Although it looks as if van Eyck has simply removed a wall, close examination reveals inconsistencies.
The chandelier cannot fit into the space it seems to occupy; there is no sign of a fireplace; the bed is too short and the ornate convex mirror on the back wall seems impossibly large.
Look closely and you can see an astonishing level of detail.
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