The Arnolfini Portrait
Artistic improvements and commentary courtesy of Wimsey Bloodhound
The Arnolfini Portrait (Jan van Eyck, 1434, National Gallery, London) is perhaps the most celebrated northern Renaissance painting. The painting, by early Netherlandish painter Jan van Eyck depicts successful Italian merchant Giovanni Nicolao Arnolfini and what is either his wife or fiancée in his richly decorated apartment in the Flemish city of Bruges. The painting is famous for its novel perspective—notice that although it is very geometric the figures are standing at an angle to the viewer—its luminous, intense color, the unusual use of a mirror in the background to reflect the interior space and its heavy use of symbols. The little dog for instance (not being independent like a Hound), is a symbol of fidelity. A huge amount has been written about all aspects of this famous painting, including much speculation as to its subject matter. Some say it depicts a marriage contract, others a wedding and and still others that it is just a regular portrait of a very wealthy man and his wife—apparently her headdress is that of a married woman. (One thing it probably does not depict is a pregnancy. it is very unlikely that a woman would be painted in that condition and her pregnant appearance owes more to either the fashion of the day or to wishful thinking than to her fertility. The more fabric, the more wealth and this couple was loaded). Anyway, no one really likes a mystery and we can see how the presence of a Hound answers all the questions about this painting. Now the painting clearly depicts Giovanni introducing his young bride to his Magnificent Hound! See how he is tenderly guiding her hand to pet the head of his beloved Hound and how she is gazing down at the Hound wondering if he will eat her trousseau and if there will be room enough for her in the that bed in the background. With her left hand she is delicately pulling away some of the fabric of her beautiful and expensive green dress that the Hound is about to slime. (“The Wimsey Arnolfini Portrait”).