Jan van Eyck

Netherlands (Flanders)

Jan van Eyck was the foremost master of early Netherlandish painting in the 15th century.

💡 Did you know? Almost nothing is known of his birth year or origins: he steps into history only as a mature artist.

early Netherlandish painting

Van Eyck stands at the start of early Netherlandish painting, which captured the visible world with unprecedented precision.

💡 Did you know? He was long even held to be the „inventor“ of oil painting: in fact he brought it to undreamed-of perfection.

oil painting

Van Eyck built his pictures from wafer-thin, transparent layers of oil, achieving a glow like precious stones.

💡 Did you know? A legend falsely claims he invented oil painting.

extreme detail

Every hair and every reflection is precisely captured.

💡 Did you know? Van Eyck painted every hair, thread and reflection: details some of which are only visible under a magnifying glass.

Duke of Burgundy

Van Eyck was court painter to the mighty Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy, who also sent him abroad as an envoy.

💡 Did you know? The duke even sent him on secret diplomatic missions.

As I can

A self-confident declaration of his skill; he died in 1441.

💡 Did you know? His motto „Als ich can“ (as best I can) sounds modest but was also a confident pun on his own name.

Arnolfini Portrait

Around 1434: full of hidden symbols and with a famous convex mirror.

💡 Did you know? In the round mirror on the wall the whole room is reflected, including two witnesses, perhaps the painter himself.

Ghent Altarpiece

Around 1432: a vast multi-panelled folding altarpiece.

💡 Did you know? The huge folding altarpiece has been stolen several times: one panel is still missing without trace.

Madonna of Chancellor Rolin

Painted around 1500.

💡 Did you know? The kneeling Chancellor Rolin faces the Madonna as an equal: a bold sign of worldly pride for the time.

The Madonna in the Church

Painted around 1430.

💡 Did you know? Van Eyck painted the light so precisely that art historians have even determined the time of day.

Madonna with Canon van der Paele

Painted around 1436.

💡 Did you know? The aged, ailing donor is painted so realistically that physicians have claimed to diagnose his diseases.

Portrait of a Man (possible self-portrait)

Painted around 1433.

💡 Did you know? The red turban and direct gaze suggest van Eyck depicted himself here.

Annunciation

Painted around 1435.

💡 Did you know? Even the floor tiles and book pages are painted in such detail that individual words can be read.

Dresden Triptych

Painted around 1437.

💡 Did you know? Van Eyck's only signed and dated little folding altar: a devotional image for private use.

Léal Souvenir

Painted around 1432.

💡 Did you know? An early bourgeois portrait: van Eyck painted a stone parapet with deceptively real „carved“ inscriptions.

Crucifixion and Last Judgement diptych

Painted around 1437.

💡 Did you know? On two narrow panels van Eyck crowds whole multitudes: from the Crucifixion down into hell.

Jan van Eyck

Jan van Eyck (c. 1390 to 1441) was the foremost master of early Netherlandish painting, famous for his incredible precision of detail and the perfection of oil painting.

💡 Did you know? Van Eyck was one of the first artists to proudly sign and date his pictures: a new self-confidence of the painter.