file which includes the original illustrations4 ,see #dagih-;h4htm or #dagih-;h4zip3 7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/cache_/epu b_/#dagih_/pg#dagih-;images4html7 or 7https3_/_/www4gutenberg4org_/files_/#da gih_/dagih-;h4zip7 ,images of the original pages are available through ,internet ,archive4 ,see http3_/_/archive4org_/details_/vaneyckoc ad#jjwealuoft ,,masterpieces ,,in ,,colour ,edited by ,t4 ,leman ,hare ,,van ,,eyck ,hubert1 #acfe 787-#adbf ,john1 #ache 787-#adda 99 99 99 99 99 ,,masterpieces ,,in ,,colour ,,series ,,artist4 ,,author4 ,,bellini4 ,,george ,,hay4 ,,botticelli4 ,,henry ,b4 ,,binns4 ,,boucher4 ,c4 ,,haldane ,,macfall4 ,,burne-,,jones4 ,a4 ,,lys ,,baldry4 ,,carlo ,,dolci4 ,,george ,,hay4 ,,chardin4 ,,paul ,g4 ,,konody4 ,,constable4 ,c4 ,,lewis ,,hind4 ,,corot4 ,,sidney ,,allnutt4 ,,da ,,vinci4 ,m4 ,w4 ,,brockwell4 ,,delacroix4 ,,paul ,g4 ,,konody4 ,d,,rer4 ,h4 ,e4 ,a4 ,,furst4 ,,fra ,,angelico4 ,,james ,,mason4 ,,fra ,,filippo ,,lippi4 ,,paul ,g4 ,,konody4 ,,fragonard4 ,c4 ,,haldane ,,macfall4 ,,franz ,,hals4 ,,edgcumbe ,,staley4 ,,gainsborough4 ,,max ,,rothschild4 ,,greuze4 ,,alys ,,eyre ,,macklin4 ,,hogarth4 ,c4 ,,lewis ,,hind4 ,,holbein4 ,s4 ,l4 ,,bensusan4 ,,holman ,,hunt4 ,,mary ,e4 ,,coleridge4 ,,ingres4 ,a4 ,j4 ,,finberg4 ,,lawrence4 ,s4 ,l4 ,,bensusan4 ,,le ,,brun1 ,,vig,e4 ,c4 ,,haldane ,,macfall4 ,,leighton4 ,a4 ,,lys ,,baldry4 ,,luini4 ,,james ,,mason4 ,,mantegna4 ,,mrs4 ,,arthur ,,bell4 ,,memlinc4 ,w4 ,h4 ,j4 ,j4 ,c4 ,,weale4 ,,millais4 ,a4 ,,lys ,,baldry4 ,,millet4 ,,percy ,m4 ,,turner4 ,,murillo4 ,s4 ,l4 ,,bensusan4 ,,perugino4 ,,selwyn ,,brinton4 ,,raeburn4 ,,james ,l4 ,,caw4 ,,raphael4 ,,paul ,g4 ,,konody4 ,,rembrandt4 ,,josef ,,israels4 ,,reynolds4 ,s4 ,l4 ,,bensusan4 ,,romney4 ,c4 ,,lewis ,,hind4 ,,rossetti4 ,,lucien ,,pissarro4 ,,rubens4 ,s4 ,l4 ,,bensusan4 ,,sargent4 ,t4 ,,martin ,,wood4 ,,tintoretto4 ,s4 ,l4 ,,bensusan4 ,,titian4 ,s4 ,l4 ,,bensusan4 ,,turner4 ,c4 ,,lewis ,,hind4 ,,van ,,dyck4 ,,percy ,m4 ,,turner4 ,,van ,,eyck4 ,j4 ,,cyril ,m4 ,,weale4 ,,velazquez4 ,s4 ,l4 ,,bensusan4 ,,watteau4 ,c4 ,,lewis ,,hind4 ,,watts4 ,w4 ,,loftus ,,hare4 ,,whistler4 ,t4 ,,martin ,,wood4 ,others in ,preparation4 99 99 99 99 99 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,i4--,,the ,,adoration ,,of ,,the ,,lamb 7,by ,hubert van ,eyck7 ,the centre-piece of the ,ghent ,polyptych1 in the ,cathedral of that town4 ,the panel was completed in or before #adbf4 ,see page #bh4 ,,van ,,eyck by ,j4 ,,cyril ,m4 ,,weale ,illustrated with ,eight ,reproductions in ,colour ,illustration3 ,,in ,,sempiternum4 ,london3 ,t4 ,c4 ,e4 ,c4 ,jack ,new ,york3 ,frederick ,a4 ,stokes ,co4 ,,to ,,my ,,mother ,,in ,,token ,,of ,,reverence ,,and ,,love ,,contents ,page ,i4 ,the ,advent of the ,van ,eycks #aa ,,ii4 ,hubert's ,novitiate #ag ,,iii4 ,the ,great ,polyptych #bb ,,iv4 ,in the ,service of ,burgundy #db ,v4 ,period of ,great ,endeavour #eh ,,vi4 ,a ,note in ,conclusion #gg ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations ,plate ,i4 ,the ,adoration of the ,lamb1 c4 #adbf ,frontispiece 7,by ,hubert van ,eyck4--,the ,cathedral1 ,ghent7 ,page ,,ii4 ,choir of ,angels1 c4 #adbf #ad 7,by ,hubert van ,eyck4--,royal ,gallery1 ,berlin7 ,,iii4 ,portrait of ,tymotheos1 #adcb #bd 7,by ,john van ,eyck4--,national ,gallery1 ,london1 ,no4 #bij7 ,,iv4 ,portrait of the ,painter's ,father-in-law1 #adcc #cd 7,by ,john van ,eyck4--,national ,gallery1 ,london1 ,no4 #bbb7 ,v4 ,john ,arnolfini and ,joan ,cenani1 his ,wife1 #adcd #dj 7,by ,john van ,eyck4--,national ,gallery1 ,london1 ,no4 #ahf7 ,,vi4 ,the ,virgin and ,child1 ,st4 ,donatian and ,st4 ,george1 and ,canon ,g4 ,van der ,paele1 #adcf #ej 7,by ,john van ,eyck4--,town ,gallery1 ,bruges7 ,,vii4 ,portrait of ,margaret van ,eyck1 the ,painter's ,wife1 #adci #fj 7,by ,john van ,eyck4--,town ,gallery1 ,bruges7 ,,viii4 ,the ,virgin and ,child1 and ,chancellor ,rolin1 date uncertain #gj 7,by -- van ,eyck4--,the ,louvre1 ,paris7 ,illustration3 ,john4 ,hubert4 ,i ,,the ,,advent ,,of ,,the ,,van ,,eycks ,the advent of the ,van ,eycks is the most important landmark in the history of painting in northern ,europe4 ,with them we open an entirely new chapter1 for although the value of oil in various inferior processes of the art had been ascertained and availed of at an earlier period1 it was entirely due to their long and painstaking experiments that its use was perfected as the vehicle of colouring matter in picture-painting4 ,unfortunately1 time and its worst incidentals have obliterated the evidence which would have enabled us to follow the development of this new method1 just as they have robbed us of all the earlier work of its original expounders1 leaving us at the same time much too inconsiderable remains for a comprehensive survey of the school of which they were the finished product4 ,it is a disconcerting experience to encounter primarily the lifework of two such eminent painters at a stage when they were already in the plenitude of their powers1 and an experience that must always tax the ingenuity of the student and critic of their art4 ,particularly is this the case in respect of the elder brother1 for the ascertained facts of ,hubert's history are restricted to the last two years of his life 7#adbe-bf71 while of the masterpieces he bequeathed to posterity only one can be said to be absolutely authenticated1 though of others generally ascribed to him several may safely be accepted as genuine4 ,john's career1 on the other hand1 can be traced back to #adbd1 but the chronology from that date to his death in #adda is fairly ample1 while he has left us a rich heritage of attested paintings to exemplify the varying aspects of his remarkable genius4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,ii4--,,choir ,,of ,,angels 7,by ,hubert van ,eyck7 ,the first dexter lateral panel in the upper zone of the interior of the ,great ,polyptych3 now in the ,royal ,gallery1 ,berlin4 ,painted in or before #adbf4 ,see page #ca4 ,it was in the nature of things that the monastic institutions1 which in the early ,middle ,ages were exclusively the nurseries of learning and of the arts and crafts1 should have infected these with the mystic spirit induced by the more or less contemplative life its inmates led4 ,more especially must this have been so when we consider that their labours were wholly in the service of religion4 ,as time went on1 and monasticism progressed from the pursuit to the dissemination of knowledge1 the pupils developed under its influence were naturally imbued with the same spirit1 and so a tradition grew up and spread which held undisputed sway for a considerable period in the various centres where artists congregated and formed schools4 ,in the earlier ,rhenish school of ,cln this was the dominant note of its art1 which it cherished and sustained in all its purity and simplicity to a later period than any of its offshoots and rivals2 for as its teaching extended1 more particularly northwards1 we are conscious of a weakening of its traditions1 of a gradual evolution from the spiritual idealism of its mystic brotherhood to the more humanistic realism that is the distinctive feature of ,netherlandish art1 from the utter sinking of personality to the frank assertion of individuality4 ,nor does this divergence necessarily bespeak a weakening of religious vitality3 rather is it to be ascribed to a marked difference of temperament and race characteristics4 ,neither could this change have been as abrupt as might appear from the scant remains of the art of the period4 ,it was a natural growth1 the one inherent quality of all such developments1 ever tending to the elaboration of a higher type1 and eventually producing its finest exemplification in the person of ,hubert van ,eyck4 ,in his younger brother1 on the other hand1 who almost belonged to another generation1 we soon note a more striking falling away from the earlier ideals1 and in the event an almost total emancipation from the canons of the mystic school1 the explanation of which is probably to be sought in an equally marked difference of character and temperament in the two brothers3 the one more poetic and imaginative1 the other more objective and materialistic2 the one drawing his inspiration from a humble and devout cultivation of art by the light of the sanctuary1 the other from a devotion to art for art's sole sake1 involving all the difference that divides the expression of beauty of thought and mere beauty of form1 the spiritual and the intellectual3 each nevertheless supreme in his own sphere1 and wielding an influence and authority destined to leave their impress on all the after-work of the school4 ,,ii ,,hubert',s ,,novitiate ,the small rural town of ,maaseyck1 on the left bank of the ,maas1 in the old duchy of ,limburg1 was the home of the ,van ,eycks and the birthplace of the elect of their stock1 ,hubert's coming being traditionally associated with the year #acfe1 ,john's with #ache4 ,in the absence of documentary evidence to the contrary1 these data are acceptable as founded on reasonable conjecture4 ,there is no record of their parentage1 but we know of a third brother1 named ,lambert1 and of a kinsman1 one ,henry van ,eyck1 whose exact relationship has not been established4 ,as the early instinct of genius revealed the true bent of the elder lad's disposition1 the outstanding advantages of a distinguished school of painting within hail almost of their doors naturally appealed to parents anxious to give effect to their son's aspirations2 so to ,maastricht they turned1 where the boy was duly apprenticed to one or other of its recognised masters4 ,having served his articles and in due course been admitted to the rank of journeyman1 the youthful artist1 now free to qualify for his mastership1 entered upon the most interesting period of his education1 a period largely spent1 according to the custom of the time1 in foreign travel2 and it is with this stage of ,hubert's career that criticism first finds legitimate occupation4 ,futile as would be the attempt to trace a definite itinerary1 it is allowable to conjecture that the mother school of ,cln would mark the first stage in the young artist's travels3 in the centre-piece of the great polyptych we discover in the background architectural work distinctly reminiscent of that city1 and detail unmistakably ,rhenish in character1 testifying to a close acquaintance with the district4 ,evidence of similar import1 such as the cathedral in the ,louvre picture and the city view with a faithful presentation of ,old ,saint ,paul's as seen from the south in that of ,baron ,gustave ,rothschild's collection1 on the confident assumption that these are from the brush of ,hubert1 bespeak visits to ,france and ,england2 while the landscape work in all his paintings betrays so intimate an acquaintance with central and southern ,european scenery as almost to compel us into the beaten tracks of the wandering artist-student of the time through ,switzerland and the south of ,france1 to sunny ,italy and erubescent ,spain4 ,the variety of his mountain scenery--undulating hills and snow-capped peaks1 rugged crags and ,alpine heights2 the depth of his liquid skies and spacious firmaments1 with their marvellous cloud and light effects1 melodies in colour that breathe the warmth of a southern sun2 and the extent of his botanical lore1 embracing the olive and citron1 the stone pine and cypress1 the date-palm and palmetto1 naturalised exotics of the ,mediterranean slopes--all these and other particulars too numerous to list bear the hall-mark of knowledge garnered in the observant pursuit of local colouring4 ,for so much there is ample warrant1 and within the limits of such guarded conclusions the critic incurs little danger from the many pitfalls that beset the by-paths of deductive reasoning4 ,but seeing that the most of our knowledge of ,hubert's life-work is arrived at by this method of inquiry1 it is essential that every inference should at least stand the test of probability4 ,to argue1 for example1 from the presentation of a particular palm-tree a pilgrimage to the ,holy ,land is to offend the laws of proportion2 to discern in the picture of the walled city of ,jerusalem in ,the ,three ,marys at the ,sepulchre work evidently from a sketch made on the spot would appear more justifiable1 until one is reminded of the fact that the defences of the ,holy ,city1 pulled down in #abci1 were not rebuilt until #aedb2 but surely it is speculation run riot1 in the attempt to vindicate a preconceived theory1 when the simple1 unobtrusive artist is made1 after the adventurous manner of his time1 to join a crusade and journey to ,palestine1 seeing that the last of these gallant enterprises had taken place full seventy years before he ever saw the light of day4 ,without1 however1 incurring the reproach of outraging probability1 we may apportion the usual four years of ,hubert's term of journeymanship between the countries already indicated1 his wanderings likely enough terminating with the visit to ,england before his return to the ,low ,countries to settle down to his life's work as a master painter1 his range of knowledge tremendously enlarged1 his technique broadened and perfected in the various schools and workshops through which he had passed1 his imagination fertilised1 his creative powers strengthened1 his faculty of utterance and expression developed--in short1 fully equipped at all points to startle the world with the first-fruits of his as yet unrealised genius4 ,,iii ,,the ,,great ,,polyptych ,so1 back to ,maaseyck and to ,maastricht3 to family rejoicings and the generous welcome of old friends1 no light matter when ordered on the good old ,netherlandish scale4 ,anxiety there1 of course1 and much curiosity here1 as to how the promise of early talent would be justified by the ripening fruit4 ,nor could the issue have been long in doubt4 ,the indispensable test triumphantly passed1 the customary formalities duly complied with1 and ,hubert van ,eyck took his place among the master painters of his time1 soon to claim rank among the lite of them all4 ,of wife or children not a whisper1 but in an age when civism spelt patriotism1 and marriage was recognised as one of the prime moral obligations of a loyal citizen1 it is inconceivable that a man of his sterling sense of duty should have done other than conform to the established practice4 ,his home and workshop were from the outset probably cheered by the presence of his younger brother ,john1 fired by the born artist's enthusiasm to follow in his senior's footsteps4 ,this ,maastricht studio no doubt also witnessed the inception of that long series of experiments1 secretly shared in by the two brothers until carried to perfection1 which gave to the world the new art of oil-painting1 and so laid all the after ages under the deepest obligation to them4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,iii4--,,portrait ,,of ,,tymotheos 7,by ,john van ,eyck7 ,a ,presentation ,portrait1 probably from the ,painter to his friend ,timothy1 a ,greek humanist whose ,christian name only is known4 ,the inscription at the foot reads3 ,actum anno ,domini #adcb1 #aj die ,octobris1 a ,iohanne de ,eyck4 ,no4 #bij in the ,national ,gallery1 ,london4 ,see pages #fc1 #fd4 ,john's apprenticeship ended1 and he in turn started on his travels1 ,hubert would appear to have removed to ,holland1 where painters and miniaturists of the early years of the fifteenth century repeatedly exhibit marked traces of his influence2 where also miniatures in a ,book of ,hours1 of date #adab to #adag1 to the order of ,count ,william for the use of his only daughter1 the fair and ill-starred ,jacqueline1 are judged to have been executed by him on the strength of the many points of resemblance they bear to the ,great ,polyptych4 ,the commission of the latter work itself is now confidently attributed to the same prince4 ,observe the prominence given to the tower of ,saint ,martin's at ,utrecht and the adjacent view of ,cln in the centre-piece1 ,the ,adoration of the ,lamb1 and to ,st4 ,martin himself1 the patron saint of ,utrecht1 in the panel of ,the ,knights of ,christ1 the banner in his grasp1 moreover1 charged with the arms of that town3 the ,count's territory was in the diocese of ,utrecht and the ecclesiastical province of ,cln4 ,so much depends on the origin of this commission in apportioning the respective share each of the brothers had in its execution that the further fact must not be overlooked that ,ghent1 for which the great work was completed1 had no sort of connection with either ,utrecht or ,cln1 being in the diocese of ,tournay and the ecclesiastical province of ,rheims1 while the only saint in the altar-piece specially connected with ,ghent who is characterised by an emblem--,st4 ,livin1 to wit--was also widely venerated in ,zeeland4 ,finally1 not to labour this aspect of the question unduly1 the inscription on the frame attributes1 not the picture's inception1 but its completion1 to ,jodoc ,vyt1 the eventual donor--a form of words so singular as to admit of no other interpretation than the plain meaning the expression conveys4 ,count ,william passed away on the #cast of ,may #adag1 leaving an only child1 ,jacqueline1 aged seventeen1 by his wife1 ,margaret of ,burgundy1 who had predeceased him4 ,her uncle1 ,john of ,bavaria1 ,prince-,bishop of ,lige1 an unscrupulous ruffian who clearly paid small deference to women's rights1 at once set himself to rob the unfortunate princess of her possessions4 ,in ,september #adah he marched out on ,dordrecht1 where he established his headquarters2 ,gorcum and other strongholds speedily succumbed to his arms1 and after an interval1 during which he married ,elizabeth of ,grlitz1 ,duchess of ,luxemburg and widow of ,anthony of ,burgundy1 ,duke of ,brabant and ,limburg1 he finally removed to ,holland and installed himself at ,the ,hague1 free now to pursue his nefarious projects4 ,for thirteen years the country resounded with the clash of arms and laboured in the rough and tumble of civil warfare3 hence an atmosphere the least congenial to the cultivation and patronage of high art4 ,the cities of ,flanders and ,brabant were the gainers by the exodus of craftsmen that presently set in4 ,of their number1 sooner or later1 was ,hubert1 who1 prior to #adbe at any rate1 had already settled at ,ghent and acquired the freedom of that city4 ,news of the unfinished polyptych remaining on his hands soon came to the ears of ,jodoc ,vyt1 a wealthy burgher1 who eagerly embraced the opportunity of striking the bargain by which he acquired all rights in the picture and so linked his name and personality for all time with this ineffable monument of the painter's art4 ,in the centre-piece1 ,the ,adoration of the ,lamb 7frontispiece71 we discover the keynote to the scheme of the work1 in the ,apocalyptic ,vision of ,st4 ,john the source of its inspiration4 ,the ,lamb without spot1 the blood from its breast pouring into a chalice1 is stood on an altar1 the white cloth over which bears on its superfrontal the text from the ,vulgate1 ,behold the ,lamb of ,god1 who taketh away the sins of the world1 and on its stole-ends the legend1 ,jesus1 the ,way1 the ,truth1 and the ,life4 ,worshipping angels gather around1 some bearing instruments of the ,passion1 others swinging censers1 their smoke laden with the prayers of the saints4 ,in the foreground the ,fountain of ,life1 flowing down through the ages along the gentle slope of flower-bejewelled sward1 or dispensing its waters in vivifying jets from the gurgoyles beneath the feet and from the vases in the hands of the winged angel above its standard4 ,to the four quarters groups of the elect3 on the near right those of the ,old ,law and among the ,gentiles who had lived in expectation of the ,redeemer1 the balancing group on the left typical of the ,new ,law--prophets1 doctors1 philosophers1 and princes in the former1 the ,apostles1 popes1 bishops1 abbots1 deacons1 monks1 and clerics among the latter4 ,the corresponding groups back of the altar represent the army of martyrs whose blood is the seed of the ,church1 and the multitude of virgins4 ,over all1 from the ,holy ,dove poised high over the altar1 dart rays of light1 emblematic of the ,wisdom which had inspired their lives and of the fire of ,love that had heartened their sacrifice4 ,a carpet of flowers fills in all the open space fore of the altar1 flowering shrubs and trees that of the mid-distance1 while the entire background is an exquisite example of the realistic landscape-work that is an abiding charm of the ,netherlandish school4 ,the wonderful harmony of colour appeals at once to the senses2 but more arresting1 on nearer acquaintance1 for its quality and felicity1 is the wide range of portraiture that distinguishes the piece4 ,from the two lateral panels in the dexter shutter the ,knights of ,christ and the ,just ,judges are pressing forward to the scene of the ,vision1 from the corresponding ones in the sinister shutter the ,holy ,hermits and the ,holy ,pilgrims3 the former on spirited horses--an animal for which the painter evinces a special affection--the latter on foot4 ,these panels are even more remarkable perhaps than the centre-piece for the diversity and multiplicity of the types portrayed1 and for the wealth of landscape relieved by bird life lavished in their embellishment4 ,the ,adoration of the ,lamb is dominated in the upper zone by a triple panel1 the centre framing the ,almighty enthroned in majesty1 whose is the kingdom1 the power1 and the glory--a supreme conception of the ,eternal ,father1 unequalled for majestic stillness of face1 intellectual power of brow1 and depth and placidity of vision2 on ,his right is the ,mother of ,christ1 testifying to the full the lowliness of the handmaiden of the ,lord1 on ,his left ,st4 ,john the ,baptist1 an earnest type1 long of hair and rugged of beard1 barefooted1 and in a raiment of brown camel's hair girdled about the loins1 intensifying the austerity of life ordained for him who was to prepare the way of the ,lord and make straight ,his paths4 ,in the ,choir of ,angels 7,plate ,,ii471 which is the subject of the first lateral panel in the dexter shutter1 we have one of the choicest gems of the polyptych1 and it affords us a measure of the distance the realistic tendencies of the painter had carried him from the traditions of the mystic school4 ,justified by the warrant of ,scripture1 he translates these spirit beings into purely human frames1 but with a nerve system attuned to material sensations4 ,in these angels there is no suggestion of trance-like ecstasy in contemplation of the ,beatific ,vision2 they are angels materialised whose features reflect the strain of sustained effort and the underlying sense of pain which in man is inseparable from the sensing of intense joy4 ,evidently the master had fathomed the secrets of the human heart3 the sense possibilities of the spirit world were without his ken1 so he humanised his angels and evolved types understandable of the people1 and at the same time one of the finest angel groups of all art4 ,so inexpressibly realistic are his conceptions that to the poet-biographer ,van ,mander1 at any rate1 it was actually possible to discern the different key in which the voice of each is pitched4 ,but poets are privileged beings4 ,accompanying the ,choir in their song of praise with organ1 harp1 and viol are the balancing group of angels in the corresponding compartment of the sinister shutter1 types that1 strangely enough1 are in striking contrast to the former1 their features moulded in placid contentment4 ,the extreme panels of this zone are occupied by life-size presentations of our ,first ,parents after the ,fall1 nude figures painted from the life1 with absolute fidelity to nature and masterly conception of type3 in a demi-lunette over the figure of ,adam we see ,cain and ,abel making their offerings unto the ,lord1 and in that over ,eve the slaying of ,abel at the hands of his brother4 ,there is a tradition extant that the altar-piece was originally furnished with a predella painted in distemper1 a picture probably of ,limbo or of ,purgatory1 but no trace of this remains4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,iv4--,,portrait ,,of ,,the ,,painter',s ,,father-,,in-,,law 7,by ,john van ,eyck7 ,the subject of this painting has only within recent months been identified as the father of ,margaret van ,eyck1 with whose portrait1 reproduced in ,plate ,,vii41 it should be compared4 ,the framework bears along the upper border the ,painter's simple motto ,als ich can1 and at the foot ,iohannes de ,eyck me fecit anno #adcc1 #ba ,octobris4 ,no4 #bbb in the ,national ,gallery1 ,london4 ,see page #gf4 ,the closed shutters display1 filling in the full width of the middle zone1 the scene of the ,annunciation4 ,the ,ethyrean ,sibyl and the ,cumaean ,sibyl occupy the demi-lunettes above the middle portion of the ,virgin's chamber1 the lunettes above the lateral divisions showing half-length figures of the ,prophets ,zacharias and ,micheas4 ,of the four compartments of the lower zone the inner ones contain statues in grisaille of ,st4 ,john the ,baptist and ,st4 ,john the ,evangelist1 the outer ones figures in the attitude of prayer1 eminently life-like1 of the donor1 ,jodoc ,vyt1 and his wife1 ,elizabeth ,borluut4 ,jodoc was the second son of ,sir ,nicholas ,vyt1 ,receiver of ,flanders1--a wealthy citizen who owned the lordships of ,pamele and ,leedberghe1 besides several mansions in ,ghent1 of which city he was burgomaster in #adcc-cd1 after filling various minor municipal offices3 by no means a handsome type1 though manifestly a capable and kindly burgher1 well-set1 with a somewhat low forehead1 small grey eyes1 and a large mouth with broad under-lip2 neither do the short-cropped hair and growing baldness or the three warts on upper-lip1 nose1 and forehead make for attractiveness4 ,in respect of looks his wife is the better favoured1 striking the beholder as an indulgent lady1 with much of the homely dignity and serenity of the finer type of ,flemish matron4 ,the ,great ,polyptych had not yet reached completion when1 on the #ahth of ,september #adbf ,hubert van ,eyck passed away after a painful illness4 ,how much of the work remained to be accomplished none can tell with any hope of approach to certainty4 ,a whole volume would not suffice for a critical examination of the mass of contending theories that for the best part of a century has been squandered in the endeavour to allocate to the two brothers their respective shares in the execution of the picture4 ,remember that it had already been some ten years in the making1 and that1 although it did not receive its final touches from the brush of ,john van ,eyck until #adcb1 nearly six years after his brother's death1 this period of ,john's life1 as we shall presently discover1 was too fully occupied in the service of ,duke ,philip of ,burgundy to have allowed of his spending any considerable proportion of it in the task of completion4 ,remembering also that ,john's art had been closely modelled on that of his brother1 that none better comprehended his ideals or was more intimately acquainted with the working out of his conceptions1 mindful1 moreover1 of the deep veneration in which he held his master's genius1 we must suppose that he realised the obligation of conscientiously adhering to the art and technique of the picture as he found it1 any obtruding originality in violation of which would have amounted almost to sacrilege3 all this further enhances the difficulty of differentiating between the work of the two painters4 ,indeed1 if so minded1 the reader is probably as well equipped as the writer to solve the puzzle4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,v4--,,john ,,arnolfini ,,and ,,joan ,,cenani1 ,,his ,,wife 7,by ,john van ,eyck7 ,an incomparable example of the ,master's varied gifts1 and a valuable study of contemporary dress and domestic furniture4 ,joan ,cenani is presumed to have been a younger sister of ,margaret van ,eyck1 with whose portrait1 reproduced in ,plate ,,vii41 it should be compared4 ,the carved frame of the mirror on the far wall enshrines ten small medallions1 exquisite miniatures representing the ,agony in the ,garden1 the ,betrayal and ,st4 ,peter's ,assault on ,malchus1 ,christ led before ,pilate1 the ,scourging at the ,pillar1 the ,carrying of the ,cross1 ,calvary1 the ,deposition1 the ,entombment1 the ,descent into ,limbo1 and the ,resurrection4 ,on the wall above the mirror we read the precise statement1 ,iohannes de eyck fuit hic #adcd4 ,no4 #ahf in the ,national ,gallery1 ,london4 ,see page #fg4 ,hubert van ,eyck was laid to rest in the crypt of the chapel for which he had painted his masterpiece1 but in #aecc1 when chapel and crypt had to make way for a new aisle1 his remains were transferred to the churchyard1 all except the bone of the right fore-arm1 which was suspended in an iron casket in the porch of the ,cathedral4 ,the brass plate bearing the well-known epitaph was at the same time placed in the transept1 only to become the spoil of the ,calvinist ,iconoclasts in #aegh1 when already the casket had somehow or other long since disappeared4 ,but what of the painter's fame1 to whose workshop laymen of the highest distinction had felt it a privilege to be admitted1 about whose easel journeymen painters had flocked1 and whom the leading contemporary artists of the ,netherlands had been proud to call master8 ,during his lifetime1 and for a considerable period after his death1 his was a dominating influence in the ,art of the ,north1 and ,van ,mander has it on record that whenever the polyptych was freely exposed to the public gaze crowds flocked to it from morning till night like flies and bees in summer round a basket of figs and grapes4 ,but in the stress and turmoil of succeeding generations his memory gradually faded away2 his work1 uncared for1 lost hold on the imagination2 even his great masterwork narrowly escaped destruction4 ,even so it did not escape dismemberment1 or profanation at the hands of the restorer4 ,saved from the fury of the ,iconoclasts in #aeff1 and subsequently rescued from the ,calvinist leaders who contemplated its offer to ,queen ,elizabeth in acknowledgment of her subsidies1 it eventually became the spoil of the ,french ,republicans2 but after the battle of ,waterloo restitution was effected1 and the main portion of the altar-piece1 all that remains of it in ,ghent1 was reinstated in its present position4 ,the ,adam and ,eve panels1 which in #agha had offended the unsuspected modesty of ,joseph ,,ii41 and in consequence been deferentially removed1 were ultimately ceded to the ,belgian ,government1 and now rest in the ,royal ,gallery at ,brussels2 while the other six shutter panels1 which had been safeguarded through the ,french occupation1 were shamelessly sold to a dealer in #ahaf by the ,vicar-,general and churchwardens--in the absence1 it is right to say1 of the ,bishop--for a paltry #cjjj florins1 subsequently changing hands for #ajj1jjj francs1 and eventually becoming the property of the ,prussian ,government for four times that amount4 ,,iv ,,in ,,the ,,service ,,of ,,burgundy ,during the five years that followed the death of ,william ,,iv41 ,count of ,holland and ,zeeland1 the usurping ,john of ,bavaria had so far succeeded in asserting his power as to be able to permit his interest to wander to the lighter occupations of life1 the while the niece he had dispossessed was supplementing the tale of her political woes with all the domestic misery attendant upon a succession of unhappy marriages4 ,thus in #adbb we find ,john van ,eyck attached to the ,count's household as painter and varlet de chambre1 and1 as we gather from the prince's household accounts1 engaged in the decoration of the palace at ,the ,hague from the #bdth of ,october in that year till the #aath of ,september #adbd4 ,another member of the household at the time was his kinsman1 ,henry van ,eyck1 the record of whose faithful services won him in ,february #adbe the post of master of the hunt to ,jacqueline's second husband1 ,john ,,iv41 ,duke of ,brabant4 ,john of ,bavaria died on the #beth of ,january #adbe1 and1 as might have been expected1 civil war immediately broke out4 ,the situation proving uncongenial1 the whilom court painter lost no time in taking the road to ,flanders1 where ,philip ,,iii41 ,duke of ,burgundy1 was lording it as the most munificent patron of the arts and sciences and of letters4 ,with a keen eye for available talent1 this princely despot at once enlisted him in his service4 ,no doubt he had become acquainted with the ,van ,eycks during his residence at ,ghent in the days of his heir-apparentship and before the younger artist's removal to ,the ,hague2 probably the portrait of ,michelle of ,france1 the ,duke's first wife 7who died in ,july #adbb71 copies of which exist1 was painted by ,john3 at any rate we have ,philip's own words for the fact that it was personal knowledge of ,john's skill that determined his appointment on the #aith of ,may #adbe as painter and varlet de chambre1 with all the honours1 privileges1 rights1 profits1 and emoluments attaching to the office2 moreover1 with characteristic prudence1 he secured a first lien on his services by awarding him a retaining fee--call it salary or call it pension--equivalent to #e1 #aas4 #a-a_/c;d4 in contemporary ,english currency1 or anything from ten to twelve times that sum at the present day4 ,having made good his position1 ,john's first move apparently was in the interest of his kinsman1 for whom he secured the position of falconer in the ducal household4 ,as we have no further concern with this member of the ,van ,eyck family1 it may be said that in #adcf he was employed by the ,duke on a secret mission of some importance1 that on the occasion of his marriage in #addd to the daughter of the master-falconer ,philip made him a present of #ajjl41 and that in #adfa he became baillie of the town and territory of ,termonde1 continuing in that office1 with the additional distinctions of councillor and chamberlain to the ,duke1 besides a knighthood1 until his death in ,november #adff4 ,the new court painter was something more than a master of his art3 a man evidently of sterling qualities of mind and heart1 of wide accomplishments and business capacity--in every way persona grata at the most brilliant court of the age4 ,not many months after his appointment he removed to ,lille by order and at the expense of the ,duke1 by whom also was paid the rent of the house he occupied there from #adbf to #adbh1 from midsummer to midsummer4 ,of his professional work at this period nothing is known4 ,the chroniclers in the ,duke's service did not concern themselves with such minor matters4 ,as ,de ,comines himself boasted1 they wrote not for the amusement of brutes and people of low degree1 but for princes and other persons of quality1 little bethinking themselves what store the after ages would have set by their gossip had it busied itself with the doings1 for example1 of court painters4 ,in other respects1 however1 we are better served1 and in the early part of #adbf we find ,john van ,eyck commissioned1 after the pious custom of the time1 to undertake a pilgrimage in the interest of the ducal health1 and in ,august of the same year despatched on some distant foreign mission4 ,his return was saddened by tidings of the death of his brother ,hubert1 who had passed away in his absence4 ,further tokens of the ducal favour in #adbg took the form of presents of #bjl4 and #ajjl4 respectively4 ,duke ,philip's matrimonial ventures hitherto had not been crowned with success4 ,neither his first wife1 ,michelle of ,france1 nor ,bonne of ,artois1 whom he wedded and lost within the ten months 7she died in ,september #adbe71 had provided him with an heir4 ,anxious to secure the succession in the direct line1 towards the middle of #adbg he despatched ambassadors to the court of ,alphonsus ,v41 ,king of ,aragon1 to obtain for him the hand of ,isabella1 eldest daughter of ,james ,,ii41 ,count of ,urgel1 and ,john van ,eyck was attached to the mission4 ,arriving at ,barcelona in ,july1 only to find that the earthquakes in ,catalonia had driven the ,court to escape by sea to ,valencia1 the embassy followed in the royal track and reached this city early in ,august1 in time for the floral games and bull-fight with which the ,jurats honoured the ,king4 ,the mission led to nothing1 not even to a portrait of the princess1 who in ,september #adbh was married to ,peter1 ,duke of ,coimbra1 third son of ,john ,i41 ,king of ,portugal2 but it is interesting to find ,alphonsus ,v4 in later years acquiring paintings by ,van ,eyck for his collection4 ,the return journey included a short halt at ,tournay1 where the magistrates very appropriately paid ,van ,eyck the compliment of a wine of honour on the #ahth of ,october1 ,st4 ,luke's ,day1 the local guild1 moreover--,robert ,campin1 ,roger de la ,pasture1 and ,james ,daret doubtless distinguished among its members--being favoured with his company in the celebration of the feast of its patron saint4 ,a like wine of honour was presented to the ambassadors on the #bjth4 ,an illuminating dispute between the ,duke1 the ,receiver of ,flanders1 and ,john van ,eyck helped to relieve the tedium of life in the intervals of employment on foreign missions at this stage of the painter's career4 ,philip's munificence was largely tempered by prudent frugality in the ordering of his household1 and in the process of curtailing his domestic expenses in #adbf he published an edict bearing date ,december #ad regulating its constitution and the wages of its members4 ,by some inadvertence ,john's name was omitted from the new roll1 and the ,receiver of ,flanders summarily stopped payment of his salary4 ,an ineffectual protest was lodged1 complaints followed reinforced by threats1 to such good purpose that eventually1 though not until after many months' persistent badgering1 the aggrieved party emerged with flying colours from the triangular duel1 securing letters patent under date ,march #c1 #adbh1 confirming his appointment and commanding the payment of all arrears4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,vi4--,,the ,,virgin ,,and ,,child1 ,,st4 ,,donatian ,,and ,,st4 ,,george1 ,,and ,,canon ,g4 ,,van ,,der ,,paele 7,by ,john van ,eyck7 ,the largest but one of the ,painter's works1 unfortunately damaged by cleaning and clumsy retouching1 while the general effect is marred by a thick coating of cloudy varnish4 ,the white shame-cloth about the ,child's loins is a later addition4 ,at the foot on the original frame we read3 ,hoc opus fecit fieri magister ,georgius de ,pala huius ecclesie canonicus per ,iohannem de ,eyck pictorem3 444 completum anno #adcf4 ,in the ,town ,gallery1 ,bruges4 ,see page #gd4 ,of the many paintings executed by ,john van ,eyck to which no precise date can be attached not one can with certainty be ascribed to this period1 and yet it is difficult to believe that his duties in the three years he had already spent in the ducal service were exclusively of a non-professional character3 surely the lost portrait of ,bonne of ,artois as ,duchess of ,burgundy1 a copy of which is preserved in the store-room of the ,royal ,gallery at ,berlin1 was his work4 ,the years immediately following1 however1 yielded a rich harvest of brilliant pictures1 first among which1 chronologically1 two portraits of the ,infanta ,isabella of ,portugal4 ,philip1 on matrimonial projects still intent1 was now turning his attention from the ,courts of ,spain to the neighbouring one of ,portugal1 and in the autumn of #adbh he decided on an embassy to ,john ,i4 ,the mission was a princely one3 at its head ,sir ,john de ,lannoy1 councillor and first chamberlain2 associated with whom were ,sir ,baldwin de ,lannoy1 governor of ,lille--at some later date1 too1 a subject for our painter's brush--high dignitaries of the court and some of the leading gentry1 a secretary1 cupbearer1 steward1 clerk of accounts1 and two pursuivants1 and last1 but not least1 ,john van ,eyck1 whose relative standing may be gathered from the fact that in the distribution of gratuities at the ceremony of leave-taking only that of the chief ambassador exceeded his1 the respective sums being #bjjl4 and #afjl4 ,the mission1 distributed between two ,venetian galleys1 sailed out of ,sluus harbour on the #aith of ,october and arrived the next day at ,sandwich1 where three or four weeks were spent awaiting a further escort of two galleys from ,london4 ,forced by contrary winds to seek shelter1 first at ,shoreham and then at ,plymouth and ,falmouth1 it was not till the #bnd of ,december that the convoy sailed out into the ocean4 ,nine days later they were at ,bayona1 a small seaport of ,galicia1 where they delayed three days1 their long sea journey at length terminating on the #afth at ,cascas1 whence they travelled overland to ,lisbon4 ,in the absence of the ,court a letter explaining the object of the mission was entrusted to the herald ,flanders1 who pursued the ,king from ,estremz to ,arrayollos and ,aviz1 in the province of ,alemtjo1 where the embassy at last had audience of his ,majesty on the #acth of ,january and presented to him the ,duke's letters soliciting the hand of his daughter ,isabella4 ,the while the ambassadors were discussing their master's proposals with the ,king's ,council ,john van ,eyck was at his easel painting the ,infanta's portrait1 two copies of which were executed and despatched to the ,court of ,burgundy1 one by sea and the other by land1 the better to ensure safe delivery1 with duplicate accounts of the mission's doings to date4 ,the ,duke's reply did not arrive until the #dth of ,june4 ,a pilgrimage to ,saint ,james of ,compostella1 and visits to ,john ,,ii41 ,king of ,castile1 to the ,duke of ,arjona1 a prince of the same royal blood1 and to ,mohammed1 ,king of the ,city of ,grenada1 agreeably filled in the interval of waiting1 ,van ,eyck naturally missing no opportunity of acquaintance with the leading painters of the day1 enlarging the scope of his own observation1 and no doubt leaving behind him the impress of his mastery4 ,that the name of ,van ,eyck was already one to conjure with in these distant realms appears from the traditional ascription to him of a mass of painting certainly in his manner1 but vastly too great to have ever been conceived by him within the limits of his stay in ,portugal4 ,take that finest of all pictures there1 the ,fons ,vitae in the board-room of the ,misericordia at ,oporto1 and the series of twelve paintings in the ,episcopal ,palace at ,evoca1 locally claimed for ,van ,eyck2 likewise the pictures in the church of ,s4 ,francisco at ,evoca1 in the round church of the ,templars at ,thomar1 and elsewhere1 which are at any rate thought there to be not unworthy of his technique1 and scarcely inferior to his best masterpieces for brilliancy of colouring and beauty of portraiture4 ,the one regrettable circumstance in relation to this visit to ,portugal is that both portraits of the ,infanta are to be numbered among the lost certain treasures of his art4 ,on their return to ,lisbon in the closing days of ,may the embassy rejoined the ,court at ,cintra on the ensuing #dth by special request of the king1 and the ,duke of ,burgundy's reply came to hand the same evening3 the princess's portrait had been to the ,duke's liking4 ,all the preliminaries being now in order events sped on apace1 to the signing of the marriage contract at ,lisbon on the #bith of ,july and the solemnisation of the espousals a day later2 and after a period of brilliant festivities the bridal party1 to the number of some two thousand1 set sail for the land of ,flanders4 ,a fortnight later four weather-beaten ships1 the ,infanta's of the number1 lumbered into ,vivero harbour in ,galicia1 followed later by a fifth3 the remainder of the original fleet of fourteen1 after battling with contrary winds1 had been effectually dispersed in the subsequent storm4 ,again a start was made on the #fth of ,november1 but the state of prostration to which ,sir ,john de ,lannoy had been reduced by sea-sickness compelled a further delay of over a fortnight at ,ribadeu4 ,here the convoy was reinforced by two ,florentine galleys1 also bound for ,flanders1 and on the #beth they eventually made good their leave of ,portuguese waters4 ,the afflicted ambassador1 with members of his suite1 had meanwhile transferred to the ,florentine galleys1 a step that nearly cost them their lives1 as these vessels narrowly escaped shipwreck in the vicinity of the ,land's ,end4 ,the other five ships put into ,plymouth harbour on the #bith1 but the ,florentines pushed on to ,sluus1 where they cast anchor on the #fth of ,december1 ,sir ,john de ,lannoy making all speed to the ,duke with the glad tidings of the ,infanta's safe arrival in ,english waters4 ,the preparations for her reception were quickly followed by the coming of the bride1 who safely accomplished her long journey's end on ,christmas ,day4 ,in the midst of a carnival of popular rejoicing the union was solemnised at ,bruges on the #gth of ,january #adcj4 ,john van ,eyck's absence had extended to slightly over fourteen months1 during which1 seemingly1 the two portraits of the ,infanta were the sole yield of his art1 except we couple with them the picture known as ,la belle ,portugaloise and another portrait of a ,portuguese maiden of which only verbal descriptions have come down to us4 ,in the light of all the compelling evidence of ,john's consummate love of ,nature1 amply displayed in the mass of landscape work that enriches many of his finest productions1 one cannot help but be struck by the fact that he never appears to have realised the possibilities of seascape as an avenue of ,art4 ,only in one small panel do we remember any deviation from the type of slow-running river water that he usually affected1 and there we are shown small craft exposed to the mean spiteful choppiness of a wind-exposed estuary1 an unconvincing picture from the utter monotony of treatment of beaten water4 ,is it possible that the sea in all of its countless moods failed in its appeal to the aesthetic sense of the master1 with its infinite variety of elemental energy and its chaste exuberance of exquisite colouring1 with all the untold modulations1 moreover1 in that great symphony of the ocean which stirs so deeply the soul of the true poet8 ,or was it that the message baffled the apprehension of the artist1 and left him helpless to respond to the call8 ,whatever the answer--or be it that1 like his leader ,de ,lannoy1 he found the sea so severe a taskmaster in the more matter-of-fact sense as to blunt the edge of his finer feelings--whatever the answer1 prolific as ,art had already proved through the centuries by the manifold and luscious fruits it had borne1 evidently it had not yet attained to the fulness of time in which it was to bring forth its apocalypse of the sea2 nor was ,john van ,eyck its consecrate expositor4 ,v ,,period ,,of ,,great ,,endeavour ,we have now reached the most important period in our painter's career1 coinciding from end to end with his residence in the ,flemish capital1 where he died on the #ith of ,july #adda--;a period of over ten years1 in which he produced the ten dated masterpieces we are about to review1 besides a large unfinished triptych and a number of other paintings to which no exact date can be affixed4 ,hardly had he taken up his quarters in ,bruges than the ,duke summoned him to ,hesdin to receive instructions with regard to the work on which he was to be employed4 ,meanwhile1 no doubt1 ,jodoc ,vyt had secured his services for the completion of the ,ghent ,polyptych3 probably it had been an understood thing all along that ,john was to finish the work at the first opportunity4 ,from the account of his movements during the five years that had elapsed since his brother's death it is obvious that he could have spared but very brief intervals of leisure for what must1 after all1 have been to him a labour of love2 the conclusion being that whatever proportion of the sixteen months immediately following his return from ,portugal he was able to devote to the picture must stand for his share in the monumental altar-piece that at ,hubert's death had already been ten years in the making4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,vii4--,,portrait ,,of ,,margaret ,,van ,,eyck ,,the ,,painter',s ,,wife 7,by ,john van ,eyck7 ,the daughter of the subject of ,plate ,,iv4 and probably the sister of ,joan ,cenani in ,plate ,v41 with both of which it should be compared4 ,in the ,town ,gallery1 ,bruges4 ,see page #ff4 ,in the early days of ,december #adca ,cardinal ,albergati1 special ambassador from ,pope ,martin ,v4 to the ,courts of ,france1 ,burgundy1 and ,england with a view to bringing about a general peace1 spent three days at the ,charterhouse in ,bruges as the honoured guest of the ,duke1 from whom ,van ,eyck received urgent instructions to paint the portrait that is now the property of the ,imperial ,gallery at ,vienna4 ,the time being all too short for the purpose1 ,john had to be content with the exquisite drawing in silver-point on a white ground which is still preserved in the ,royal ,cabinet of ,prints at ,dresden1 and which is particularly interesting because of the marginal memoranda in pencil embodying the most minute observations in the artist's own handwriting for his guidance in the execution of the painting4 ,a remarkable portrait of a most remarkable man3 for this prince of the ,church1 a humble son of the austere ,order of the ,carthusians1 though raised to the ,cardinalate and time after time called upon to serve the ,holy ,see on important embassies requiring consummate prudence in regard to matters of temporal policy1 discarding his family arms for a simple cross1 persevered to the end in such austerities of the cloister as the wearing of a hair shirt1 total abstinence from flesh-meat1 and the use of bare straw for his rude pallet3 a type that must have appealed to ,van ,eyck1 for the picture is a valuable index of the painter's genius for portraiture4 ,in or about ,august of the following year the ,burgomasters and ,town ,council honoured ,john with a visit to his workshop1 to inspect the various pictures he was then engaged on4 ,among these1 probably1 was the portrait of ,tymotheos1 bearing date ,october #aj1 #adcb1 acquired by the ,national ,gallery in #aheg for the modest sum of #ahi1 #aas4 7,plate ,,iii471 and the ,our ,lady and ,child in the collection at ,ince ,hall1 ,ince ,blundell1 ,liverpool1 although it was not completed till #adcc4 ,the latter is a delightful instance of the singular love of domesticity which ,van ,eyck exemplifies with supreme confidence and success in the ,arnolfini tableau1 of which more anon4 ,in the former we have a man verging on middle age1 with dark complexion1 blue eyes1 angular features1 heavy jaw1 thick lips1 prominent cheekbones and uplifted nose2 presumably a ,greek humanist and a friend of the painter1 from the man's ,christian name on the parapet being in ,greek character and the manuscript roll he holds in his hand1 and from the inscription ,lal ,souvenir3 by no means a handsome type1 but true to nature1 and presented with all the charm that ,van ,eyck was able to endow his least promising subjects with1 the modelling being excellent1 and the harmonious colouring aptly relieved by a dark background4 ,somewhere about this time ,john's thoughts1 somewhat later in life than was the custom of the age1 must have been turning on matrimony on his own account1 for we find him purchasing a house in the parish of ,saint ,giles1 a quarter much affected by painters1 and shortly afterwards engaged on a portrait of the man appointed to be his father-in-law2 and we can picture the ,duke1 with whom he was ever a special favourite1 being made the confidant of his intentions on the occasion of his visit to ,van ,eyck's workshop on the #aith of ,february #adcc1 and pleasantly encouraging him with a promise to stand sponsor for his first-born4 ,at any rate the wedding took place1 and in due course ,sir ,peter de ,beaufremont1 ,lord of ,chargny1 held the infant at the baptismal font as proxy for ,philip1 whose present took the form of six silver cups weighing #ab marks1 the order for payment of the account1 amounting to #ifl4 #abs41 to a local goldsmith1 ,john ,peutin1 bearing date ,june #cj1 #adcd2 and this is the nearest approach we can get at to the date of either event4 ,indeed1 we have no information as to the sex of the child1 nor are we even acquainted with the maiden name of ,van ,eyck's wife1 though it has been suggested1 with some show of reason1 that she was a sister of ,joan ,cenani1 the wife of ,john ,arnolfini1 already referred to2 and it is only within quite recent days that the painting in the ,national ,gallery commonly spoken of as the man with the turban has been identified1 on purely scientific lines1 as the portrait of her father4 ,if the reader will compare this likeness 7,plate ,,iv47 with that of ,margaret van ,eyck 7,plate ,,vii47 he must immediately be struck by the close resemblance that irresistibly suggests the relationship3 the marvel is that the absolute identity of features in the two portraits escaped notice so long4 ,the fanciful style of head-dress1 except it was intended to symbolise occupation or profession1 remains a puzzle2 for it is difficult to conceive a man of his earnest and dignified disposition masquerading in strange attire for the mere sake of effect4 ,the best authorities speak of him as a well-to-do merchant--specialising perhaps in ,eastern wares1 such as crowded the marts of the ,flemish capital in the heyday of its prosperity--apparently about sixty-five years of age1 the face being delicately painted in reddish-brown tones1 and showing every detail with uttermost faithfulness1 even to the pleats of the eyelids and at the root of the nose1 and to every vein and wrinkle of the forehead4 ,it is one of the finest exemplifications of ,john's rare gift of portraiture1 the pleasing modesty of the artist--as revealed in the inscription ,als ich kan 7to the best of my ability7--adding1 indeed1 to the charm of the picture1 which bears date ,october #ba1 #adcc1 and passed into the keeping of the ,national ,gallery in #ahea for the sum of #cae4 ,it is difficult to refrain from what would appear an over-use of the superlative in dealing with ,john van ,eyck's works1 but if the writer might be allowed an indulgence he would unhesitatingly avail himself of it to the full in connection with the exquisite panel 7,plate ,v47 for the possession of which we are indebted to the honourable wounds which were the seal of ,major-,general ,hay's part in the battle of ,waterloo4 ,after wandering about ,europe as the cherished possession first of ,don ,diego de ,guevara1 councillor of ,maximilian and ,archduke ,charles and ,major-domo of ,joan1 ,queen of ,castile2 next of ,margaret of ,austria1 ,governess of the ,netherlands2 subsequently of ,mary of ,hungary1 and eventually of ,charles ,,iii4 of ,spain1 it fell into the acquisitive hands of the ,french invader of the ,peninsula1 and by some strange freak of fortune strayed to the apartments at ,brussels in which the gallant major-general was nursed to recovery1 from whose landlord he purchased it1 the ,national ,gallery in the end becoming its owner1 in #ahdb1 for the trifling sum of #gcj4 ,it is the picture of a newly married couple in a homely ,flemish interior1 and in their attempts to solve an imaginary riddle critics have given their somewhat prolific powers of imagination an unusually free rein4 ,for instance1 the peculiar manner in which the bride sustains the gathered folds of her skirt--shown by comparison with figures of virgin saints in other of ,van ,eyck's paintings to have been a passing fashion of the day1 if an ungraceful one--suggested to some the near approach of her lying-in1 the bedstead in the background as well as the figure of ,st4 ,margaret 7a favourite of women in expectation of childbirth7 surmounting the back of the arm-chair naturally tending to confirm the impression2 in corroboration of which the attitude of husband and wife--though the direction of look in neither lends support to the theory--is explained as a venture in chiromancy1 the adept bridegroom endeavouring to read in the lines of his wife's hand the future of the coming infant3 a variant elucidation representing the husband as solemnly protesting his paternity to an inexistent crowd of neighbours at the open door1 seeing that the ingenious reflection of the scene in the circular convex mirror on the far wall reveals but two additional figures1 probably the painter and his apprentice4 ,without recourse to fancy1 the attitude of bridegroom and bride1 hand in hand1 might readily have been seen to symbolise the perfect union begot of a happy marriage4 ,john's love of domesticity is abundantly displayed in all the detail of the work--the chandelier1 with lighted taper1 dependent from the ceiling1 the aumbry with its couple of oranges1 the cushioned bench by the window1 the dainty pair of red shoes on the carpet by the bedside1 the pattens of white wood with black leather latchets in the foreground1 even to the dusting-brush hung on the arm-chair1 and the pet griffin terrier1 all helping to heighten the intimacy of the scene2 while the cherry-tree in full bloom1 seen through the open window against a sky of clear blue1 serves to fix the season of the year in which the picture was painted4 ,the portraits are of ,john ,arnolfini and ,joan ,cenani3 the former1 in later years1 was knighted and appointed a chamberlain at his court by ,duke ,philip1 and from the circumstance of his burial in the chapel of the ,lucchese merchants at the ,austin ,friars' we may presume both his nationality and calling2 the latter1 considered in respect of certain features1 especially the eyes1 eyebrows1 and nose1 suggests a sufficient likeness to warrant the surmise that she was a younger sister of ,van ,eyck's wife4 ,the panel1 which is in an almost perfect state of preservation1 is a fine example of the painter's vigour of delineation and perfect blending of colour1 both as regards the interior and the figures1 the transparency of shadow in the flesh-tints showing the utmost delicacy of touch4 ,the picture bears date #adcd4 ,illustration3 ,,plate ,,viii4--,,the ,,virgin ,,and ,,child1 ,,and ,,chancellor ,,rolin 7,by -- van ,eyck7 ,whether the work of ,hubert or of ,john is still in dispute3 hence an interesting example for the critical student of their respective arts4 ,nicholas ,rolin was born in #acgf1 was created ,chancellor of ,burgundy and ,brabant on ,december #c1 #adbb1 and died ,january #ah1 #adfb4 ,the landscape in the background is distinctly reminiscent of the scenery about ,maastricht1 the alma mater of the ,van ,eycks4 ,the general effect of the picture is marred by an unpleasant coating of yellow varnish4 ,date uncertain4 ,in the ,louvre1 ,paris4 ,see page #gh4 ,about this time ,van ,eyck was once more in trouble with the ,receiver of ,flanders and his officials4 ,philip1 adding one more to the many marks of favour reserved for his predilect painter1 had bestowed on him a life-pension of #dcbjl4 in lieu of the salary of #ajjl4 parisis awarded him at the time of his engagement4 ,in the absence of any explanation of this enormous increase1 the mystified accountants at ,lille declined registration of the letters patent2 but they were speedily brought to their senses by ,john's threat1 without further waste of words1 to throw up his appointment there and then3 so they referred the matter back to the ,duke1 who by letters of ,march #ab1 #adce1 commanded immediate registration of the patent and payment of the pension under penalty of his extreme displeasure1 protesting that1 being about to employ ,van ,eyck on works of the highest importance1 he could not find another painter equally to his taste or of such excellence in his art and science4 ,matters being thus satisfactorily composed1 ,john was free to attend to his patron's behests2 in addition to which he had the gilding and polychroming in #adce of six of the eight statues of counts and countesses of ,flanders executed by local sculptors for the front of the new ,townhouse1 probably from his own designs4 ,yet another present of six silver cups1 perhaps as a salve for his wounded feelings1 and employment on a further secret mission to distant parts in #adcf testify to the ,duke's abiding trust and approbation4 ,these undertakings1 however1 did not exhaust the painter's marvellous capacity for work1 for this year also witnessed the completion of one of the largest of his pictures1 the altar-piece to the order of ,canon ,van der ,paele1 for the collegiate church of ,saint ,donatian at ,bruges 7,plate ,,vi471 which since its recovery from the ,french in #ahae has graced the collection of the local ,town ,gallery4 ,john's love of the ,romanesque probably accounts for his neglect of the architecture of that church in designing the apse of the transept in which the ,virgin and ,child sit enthroned1 but the scenic effect produced by his treatment of the series of round arches on cylindrical columns and of the pillared ambulatory goes far to compensate for the omission2 the beauty of the picture being further enhanced by the ornate carving of the capitals and throne1 the gorgeous display of cloth-of-gold and tapestry1 and the rich variety of dress and costume1 culminating in all the splendour of the archiepiscopal vestments1 yet not so overpowering as to dwarf interest in the noble countenance of the wearer4 ,howbeit1 the artist was singularly unfortunate in the subjects appointed to pose for the ,virgin and ,st4 ,george1 while the ,divine ,child is probably the least pleasing of his ,infant ,christs4 ,st4 ,donatian1 however1 and the homely yet dignified ecclesiastic typified as the ,donor1 largely redeem the figure-work from the charge of insignificance4 ,it would appear that the life-size bust of ,canon ,van der ,paele at ,hampton ,court ,palace was a study for the full-length portrait1 for at the time the altar-piece was being executed the worthy ,canon was already so feeble that since ,september #adcd he had been dispensed by the ,chapter from attendance in choir on the score of infirmity and advanced age4 ,the ,portrait of ,john ,de ,leeuw1 goldsmith1 in the ,imperial ,gallery at ,vienna 7#adcf71 and two charming pictures in the ,antwerp ,museum--,saint ,barbara 7#adcg7 and the ,our ,lady and ,child by a ,fountain 7#adci7--;come next in order of the artist's dated pieces1 the series closing with the ,portrait of ,margaret van ,eyck 7,plate ,,vii47 in the ,town ,gallery at ,bruges1 which bears date ,june #ag1 #adci3 a work of marvellous delicacy and finish1 and a tribute of love worthy alike of the painter-husband and his devoted wife2 the latter an intelligent type of the competent ,flemish housewife1 clear and steady of eye and firm of mouth1 portrayed with infinite minuteness and not the least concession to vanity4 ,formerly the property of the ,guild of ,painters and ,saddlers1 it used annually to be exhibited in their chapel on ,st4 ,luke's ,day1 amply secured1 if we believe the popular legend1 with chain and padlock1 because of the companion picture1 ,van ,eyck's own portrait1 having been stolen through lack of similar precautions4 ,the sad loss to ,art sustained by ,john van ,eyck's death on the #ith of ,july #adda is accentuated by the unfinished state in which he left the great triptych on which he was engaged for ,nicholas van ,maelbeke1 ,provost of ,saint ,martin's at ,ypres1 his largest painting and1 had he but lived to complete it1 in every respect his masterpiece4 ,as a member of the ,duke's household ,john was buried within the precincts of the collegiate church of ,st4 ,donatian1 and his remains finally laid to rest some months later within the building1 near the font2 and an anniversary ,requiem ,mass1 founded at the time1 continued to be celebrated until the ,french invasion in #agib4 ,in death as in life ,duke ,philip never forgot his faithful friend and servant3 within a few days of his decease he sought to solace the widow's grief with a gratuity of #cfjl4 in token of his appreciation of the great master whose death they all mourned1 and years after he graciously assisted ,livina1 the one surviving child of the marriage1 and a sister of his own godchild1 to enter the ,convent of ,st4 ,agnes at ,maaseyck4 ,a ,,note ,,in ,,conclusion ,however representative the great masterpieces which it has been possible to notice within the scope of this monograph1 we are far yet from having covered the art of the ,van ,eycks2 and1 strangely enough1 the same difficulty that is met in apportioning to each his share in the ,great ,polyptych recurs when seeking to ascribe a number of other paintings which are certainly the work of one or other of the brothers4 ,the study of these will always appeal to the intelligent student of their art1 and as a typical example of the group we present the altar-piece known as ,the ,blessed ,virgin and ,child and ,chancellor ,rolin 7,plate ,,viii471 in the ,louvre1 ,paris3 a remarkable work in respect of types1 of portraiture1 and of landscape1 every detail of which has been elaborated to a degree scarcely conceivable4 ,many other of their paintings are to be found scattered over ,europe1 along with much that is the work of copyist1 pupil1 or imitator1 too often with idle claims to authenticity2 for the influence of the ,van ,eycks was coextensive with the art world of their day4 ,truthfulness1 it has been observed1 was the dominant note of their art1 and by their sedulous cultivation of ,truth they dominated the art of their age4 ,with ,john this love of truth amounted well-nigh to a passion2 and the reproach of the carping critic to whom beauty of feature alone makes for beauty of portraiture fails of its effect on the true artist mind1 to whom the faithful record of all trifling blemishes of the face is but an added testimony and guarantee of the fidelity of the portrait as a portrait of the inner as well as of the outer man4 ,even a great painter may enhance his present popularity and widen his clientle by a flattering suppression of personal disfigurement1 but only to the injury of his fame and the hurt of his own self-respect4 ,john van ,eyck scorned to grovel at the feet of ,vanity1 and with this acknowledgment of the sense and honesty of his sitters he combined the fulfilment of a duty to posterity1 for with the true instinct of genius he knew that he was painting not for his own brief day1 but for all time1 and that1 as the founder of a great school of portraiture and the father of landscape art1 it behoved him to set an example of the cardinal principle which should direct them4 ,under any conditions ,john van ,eyck's genius must have asserted itself1 but happily it was fortunate in its setting1 for the brilliancy of the great ,burgundian court and the sumptuous patronage of ,duke ,philip in the full blaze of his power and glory were invaluable aids to the production and dissemination of his art4 ,nor did success spoil his sterling nature3 amidst all the triumphs of his life his character remained singularly free from the tarnish of empty pride1 to the last the exquisite yield of his art being given to the world in a charming spirit of apology so aptly embodied in the simple motto of his choosing1 ,als ich kan4 ,and who among all the great painters of the after ages has done better8 ,the plates are printed by ,,bemrose ,,sons1 ,,ltd41 ,derby and ,london ,the text at the ,,ballantyne ,,press1 ,edinburgh 99 99 99 99 99 ,transcriber's note3 ,,plate ,,iv4 reference to page #gf changed to #ff1 as that is the page which actually references this ,plate4