Blog 10: Arnolfini Wedding Portrait

In honor of Valentine's Day and our week long study of love, I decided to write a blog post about the Arnolfini Wedding Portrait, which depicts the wedding of Giovanni Arnolfini and Giovanna Cenami. Painted by Jan (Johannes) Van Eyck in 1434, it perfectly exemplifies the important characteristics of Northern Renaissance painting: hidden symbols and tremendous detail, all depicted with oil paint.

"Giovanni Arnolfini was a representative of the Medici family in the Flemish city of Bruges (in Belgium), one of the foremost commercial centers of northern Europe".  As a result, he was a wealthy man, and a great deal of the hidden symbols allude to his great wealth.  The most prominent example of their wealth is their clothing, with Giovanni wearing a fur coat and Giovanna wearing a beautiful green dress.  Next to Giovanna, one can catch a glimpse of "oriental carpeting, an extravagant possession for a person of fifteenth-century Europe".  Another detail that is just as extravagant is the oranges on the windowsill.  Oranges did not grow in Flanders, and would have to be imported like the carpet.

However, this piece is not all about the expensive trappings of wealth.  A number of other hidden symbols refer to the marriage taking place.  The dog at the bottom of the portrait represents fidelity and loyalty, while the oranges on the windowsill symbolize casting aside the temptation of marital infidelity.    The wooden clogs at the bottom were a common wedding gift, and depicting both figures with their shoes taken off (a second red pair can be seen in the background) symbolizes the sanctity of marriage.  Finally, the single lit candle in the chandelier represents "the presence of God in the sacrament of holy matrimony and was part of the Flemish wedding custom".

An essential aspect of art created during the Northern Renaissance is tremendous detail.  One can see every individual hair on the dog, and the textures of objects such as the wooden clogs and chandelier have been carefully rendered.  If one takes a closer look at the round mirror in the background, one can see not only the backs of the two figures, but also two additional figures, one being the artist himself.  Furthermore, the tiny circles surrounding the mirror depict the Passion of Christ, all carefully painted with an extraordinary attention to detail.

The entire painting was created using oil paint.  Its long drying time enabled Northern Renaissance artists to reach this level of tremendous detail in addition to providing a beautiful, lustrous appearance.

Source: REA AP Art History review book

Becky Reals