<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nBoth the husband and wife's faces are seen in a three-quarter view. Van Eyck used this angle, bringing a natural human character to the figures in other paintings as well. <\/pre>\n\n\n\nLet’s get to analyze each figure in the painting!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Italian Merchant, Giovanni Arnolfini <\/h4>\n\n\n\n An enormous puffy black hat crowns Arnolfini’s head. He is dressed in a fur-trimmed cloak. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Arnolfini was a member of a merchant family from Lucca living in Bruges.<\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
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As mentioned earlier, the figure of Arnolfini symbolizes the impression of great wealth and status. In addition, the oranges on the far left of the table seem to confirm that the couple has a high welfare level since orange was a luxury in 19th century Bruges. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The oranges’ detail on the far left of the table.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nOn the other hand, his modestly downcast eyes and his serious expression are in contrast to the welcoming gesture of his right hand, almost like a wave, as he moves to place it into his wife’s open palm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Arnolfini’s modestly downcast eyes’ detail. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
Detail of Arnolfini’s right hand.<\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
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Detail of the real, soft, and fluffy furs on the skirts of Arnolfini’s cloak.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
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When you take a close look, how real, soft, and fluffy the furs on the skirts of Arnolfini’s cloak seem, don’t they? The realism is remarkable. And how did he create the brilliance and the sense of depth depicted in folds in the dresses? I am speechless, Jan van Eyck just worked his magic. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Arnolfini’s Wife, Costanza<\/h4>\n\n\n\n A white headdress of linen with intricate ruffle frames light bathed the youthful face of Arnolfini’s wife. In fact, this veil at the head of the Costanza was worn by the married women of the period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Costanza <\/strong>is a symbol of love and loyalty<\/em> in the Arnolfini Portrait. <\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nIs the young woman pregnant or just wearing a fashionable gown?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although Costanza gives the impression of being pregnant with her bloated belly at first glance, art historians say that if this is a marriage picture, Costanza can not be pregnant. To clarify, the situation does not comply with the moral understanding of those times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They say that even if the woman were pregnant at the time of the couple’s marriage, Van Eyck would not have eternalized it by incorporating this fact into his painting. In fact, according to the National Gallery, Costanza is not pregnant, as is often thought, but holding up her full-skirted dress in the contemporary fashion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThe Woman’s Green Dress<\/h4>\n\n\n\n The woman is wearing a green dress symbolizes wealth and luxury. To clarify, the exquisite modeling of the folds of the emerald-green gown highlights the fabric’s quality and heavyweight. The fabric might be velvet, which was extremely expensive at that time. The intricate ruffles and pleats on the sleeves increase the overall impression of decadent and opulence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Costanza’s<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
green dress<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
details.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nIt is known that these loose and long dresses were used to emphasize femininity and fertility at that time. However, again there is no evidence of her being pregnant in the period’s written sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To put another symbol of this high level of prosperity, we can point out that the Arnolfini couple wears showy thick clothes, despite the fact that it is summer by understanding that the season is summer from the cherry fruits seen from the open window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Faithful Dog With Well Trimmed Hair<\/h4>\n\n\n\n One of the most loved and discussed details is the cute little dog we see in the middle. The dog was widely chosen as a visual symbol for its connection with loyalty and reputation as a faithful friend. Here, the dog stands between its owners’ feet, uniting the couple’s fidelity. In the Arnolfini Portrait, the little dog symbolizes loyalty or alternatively signifying the couple’s desire to have a child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Little dog symbolizes loyalty in the Arnolfini Portrait. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThe Chandelier<\/h4>\n\n\n\n A chandelier is placed on the couple’s joined hands in the middle of the painting. The chandelier and the light are among the elements considered sacred in European painting. If you look carefully, the candle burning on the Arnolfini in the chandelier is marked as extinguished above its partner. Experts believe there may be a direct reference to the life that ends and death in this detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The chandilier refers the life that ends and also death. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nJan van Eyck’s Signature<\/h4>\n\n\n\n Above the mirror, it says Jan van Eyck was here in Latin. For a painter to draw such attention to himself was unprecedented. This writing on the wall, which is also considered the painter’s signature, is accepted as one of the most aesthetic signatures of the art of painting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jan van Eyck’s Signature is on the wall of the Arnolfini Portrait. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nAnd even more, his signature is placed there like it supports all the interpretations that had been made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Central Mirror On The Wall<\/h4>\n\n\n\n Ten miniature paintings encircle the convex mirror. The craftsmanship in such a piece would have been highly appreciated in the Netherlands at the time. They depict in astonishing detail The Passion of Jesus, which is the short final period including the crucifixion of Christ. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is clear that Van Eyck is a highly detail-oriented painter. As we learned from the painter's notes, he added these small details to the Arnolfini Portrait with the help of a magnifying glass.<\/pre>\n\n\n\n The convex mirror is one of the most important details in the Arnolfini Portrait.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nWe see the mirror placed on the back wall of the room is one of the most striking details in the painting and is also one of the details of the artwork that creates a dilemma. If you look carefully at the mirror, you will see four-figure. So who are these figures?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
WHO IS REFLECTED IN THE MIRROR? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n
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Let’s look at some more close-ups. At least four figures can undoubtedly be seen reflected in the mirror. Two of them are a couple seen from behind, the third might be Van Eyck seen in the Arnolfini Portrait, and the fourth person’s identity is unclear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some take interpretation further by claiming that we are the ones in the mirror. We are witnessing this happy moment of this couple. What is your take on this?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
It looks to me the mirror is the element that allows us to perceive the story more holistically. With the presence of the mirror, we understand that the two figures we are looking at are not just a couple posing for the painter, and we cannot just say that this is a portrait. Therefore, we begin to wonder about his story from the painting.<\/pre>\n\n\n\n