Friday, August 29, 2008

A Marriage?


Arnolofini Portrait, 1434
Jan van Eyck
oil on panel, 82x59.5 cm.
National Gallery, London
courtesy of wikipedia


In honor of my friend's wedding tomorrow, a "wedding portrait" of the day. Thought to be a portrait of Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini and his wife, possibly in their room, the identity of the women is not sure. Full of illusion, and exquisite detail, this painting has sparked discussion and thought for hundreds of years.

There is debate over whether this is a portrait of a betrothal, a partial memorial (if the wife died previous to the painting), or an actual legal document recording a marriage. Check out this discussion of the painting on the BBC/Open University.

I need to go get things ready to head on out to Maine for the wedding tomorrow, so I must cut this a bit short. Have a wonderful holiday weekend, and art should return on Monday (possibly Tuesday!)

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