Paintings of van Eyck Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Annunciation

Van Eyck would paint another Annunciation c. 1434-36 and again in 1440. The depiction on the Ghent altarpiece takes up the center four panels of the front wings. Both the Virgin and the angel Gabriel are simply dressed in radiant white robes (in contrast to the splendid clothing in the 1434-36 version) and a dove, symbolizing the Holy Spirit, hovers above Mary's head. Between the two figures are two central panels showing a window, through which a landscape can be viewed, and a small niche in which a kettle hangs from a chain (a domestic touch which recalls a famous 1425 "Annunciation" by an artist known only as the Master of Flemalle, possibly Robert Campin).

Answer: The saints are depicted as statuary.

The donors for the Ghent altarpiece were Judocus (Joost) Vijd and his wife, Elisabeth Borluut, two of the city's wealthiest and most influential citizens. They are depicted on their knees alongside the two Saint Johns, who are painted in a technique known as grisaille, which suggests statuary (he would use this technique again for his 1440 "Annunciation").

This serves both to clearly distinguish the two saints from their earthly counterparts and to give rest to the eye from the rich colors of much of the altarpiece (it also echoes the white-clad figures of the "Annunciation").

Answer: Adam and Eve

Adam and Eve are here depicted after their fall from grace. Eve appears to be with child and both she and Adam clumsily try to cover their nakedness with their hands (and, in Adam's case, a large fig leaf). Above each of their heads is depicted a small carved relief telling the story of their sons, Cain and Abel.

These two figures are theologically significant, as the two principal subjects of the altarpiece are the Annunciation, in which Mary's assent to the will of God contrasts with Eve's original transgression, and the Adoration of the Lamb of God (symbolizing Christ), whose sacrifice washes away the stain of Adam's sin.

Answer: The Adoration of the Lamb

The Lamb (symbolic of Christ, the Paschal lamb whose sacrifice on the cross, according to church teaching, washed away the sins of the world) stands on a red altar, symbolic of blood and sacrifice. Just behind the altar, angels hold up the cross; in the foreground is a fountain, symbolic of the Water of Life.

The "Adoration" recalls the words of the Book of Revelation: "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and has redeemed us to God by his blood." The "Adoration" comprises five of the lower sections of the altarpiece; one large panel in the center flanked by two panels on each side.

These panels depict various saints- judges, holy knights, hermits, and pilgrims (the one on the extreme left, depicting the judges, was stolen in the 1930s and has been replaced with a copy).

More saints, virgins, apostles, martyrs, bishops, and confessors, approach the altar in the central panel. The whole scene is depicted in an idyllic outdoor setting; the detail with which the various plants, herbs, and trees are painted is such that horticulturalists have been able to identify specific plants and species.

Answer: The Crucifixion and the Last Judgement

For those who think of van Eyck as purely a decorative painter, these two panels will prove a revelatory experience. The Crucifixion is one of the starker and more shocking depictions of the scene in Renaissance art. The figure of Christ appears nearly naked, a wisp of rather flimsy drapery covering the loins. Still alive, he looks from the cross as a spear is thrust into his side (the two blindfolded thieves, their legs broken, dangle grotesquely from their crosses). The grieving family and followers of Christ huddle at the front, at a considerable remove from the cross in the background, from which they are separated by a throng of soldiers on horseback. The Virgin, doubled over by grief, appears to be little more than a huddled mass of dark blue at the forefront of the panel.

The Last Judgment depicts the crowned figure of Christ, sitting before the same cross (with its titulus, reading "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" still in place) surrounded by rejoicing angels and flanked by the Virgin and St. John. Below the company of the elect, under the feet of Michael the Archangel, is a hideous figure, half skeleton and half bat, spreading its wings over the damned. The condemned souls writhe in agony in one of the more loathsome depictions of Hell to be seen in Western art (A 1452 "Last Judgement by Petrus Christus is remarkably similar to this one and may, in fact, have been intended as a copy). There is some question as to whether these panels were painted by Hugo or Jan, or if they represent a collaborative effort.

Answer: Man with a Red Turban

This painting dates from 1433 and is believed by many to have been a self-portrait. Van Eyck was noted for a rather miscievious, Alfred Hitchcock-like penchant for including miniature self-portraits of himself in many of his paintings. The most famous example of this is his reflection in the convex mirror of "The Arnolfini Betrothal".

Others include his reflection in the armor of St. George in "The Madonna of Canon van der Paele". In "The Virgin of Chancellor Rolin", the figure just beyond the Romanesque columns at the back of the painting, looking out at the landscape with his back to the viewer, is believed by many to be van Eyck himself. Regarding the "Man with a Red Turban", two details seem to suggest that this is a self-portrait: the expression of the eyes, which suggests that the subject is peering at a mirror image, and the inscription "Als Ich Kan" ("As I Can"), which has been interpreted both as a personal motto and as a play on the phrase "Als Eyck Kan" ("As Eyck Can").

Answer: Yes

One of the most celebrated paintings in history, "The Arnolfini Betrothal" contains a wealth of exquisite and symbolic detail; the small dog at the couple's feet, the circular mirror at the back, with miniature scenes from the Way of the Cross embedded in the frame, the tiny wooden carving of St. Margaret (patroness of childbirth) over the bed, the pair of discarded shoes on the floor, and the chandelier with its single burning candle. Over the mirror on the back wall is the artist's inscription "Jan van Eyck was here; 1434.

In that same year, the artist painted the bridegroom's portrait, a work which bears some resemblance to the "Man with a Red Turban". Giovanni Arnolfini was an expatriate Tuscan silk merchant who had settled in Bruges and, apparently, befriended the artist. Van Eyck was, in fact, present at Arnolfini's marriage to Giovanna Cenami; in addition to his signiature on the back wall of the painting, the artist himself can be seen in miniature in the mirror's reflection.

Answer: The Virgin of Chancellor Rolin

Nicholas Rolin was Chancellor of Burgundy and Brabant at the court of Philip the Good. A portrait of him can also be seen in the Beaune altarpiece, painted by Rogier van der Weyden. This painting, depicting him in prayer before the Virgin and Child, is believed to have been commissioned by his son, Johann.

The Virgin's crown (similar to the one in the depiction of God the Father in the Ghent altarpiece) is but one of many glorious details in this painting; others include the black, white, and red parquet marble floor, the extraordinary view of a winding river through the Romanesque columns at the rear, the jewel-like stained glass windows glimpsed at the top of the painting, and the Chancellor's brown and gold damask robes.

In addition to his work as an artist, van Eyck held a position as diplomat in Philip's court.

In this capacity, he became well acquainted with members of the nobility, such as Rolin, and was often called upon to paint them either in formal portraits or, as here, in the context of a religious painting.

Answer: A church

The incongruity of setting the Annunciation (which, historically, took place well before there were such things as churches) in a church has been much commented on, particularly since a stained glass window near the top of the painting depicts an adult Christ standing atop a globe. According to Catholic tradition, Mary was a temple virgin before her betrothal, van Eyck may have been referring obliquely to this tradition in setting the scene in a place of worship.

This painting, like the "Arnolfini Betrothal", boasts a wealth of symbolic detail. The floor of the church is painted with scenes from the Old Testament, of which one can discern David and Goliath and Samson destroying the temple of the Philistine's, two scenes which refer to the destruction of powerful and evil forces by a seemingly defenseless and vulnerable individual and which, thus, foreshadow the New Testament scene being depicted. A beam of light falling upon Mary from one of the upper windows suggests another Catholic tradition which explains the Virgin Birth by comparing the conception of Christ to a ray of light passing through a window.

Technically, the painting is a tour-de-force, particularly the depiction of the angel Gabriel, resplendent in robes of red and gold. One can almost feel the difference in texture between the warm red velvet and the sleek cloth of gold, and the pearls and gems which encrust the border of his cloak are amazingly detailed even when examined under a magnifying glass. An indication of the artists mastery of detail can be seen in the bit of diamond-paned glass window visible just over the angel's shoulder, through which one can see a building; on closer inspection, one can make out details such as timbering, a gabled roof, windows, and a bell-tower.

Answer: True

This painting is generally believed to have been a portrait of the artist's wife Margaret, whom he married in 1433 and with whom he had two daughters. The couple were married less than ten years upon van Eyck's death in 1441, upon which Margaret recieved a gratuity from the Duke on behalf of herself and her daughters, who were as yet children (nine years later, van Eyck's daughter Livinia would be the recipient of another monetary gift to enable her to enter a religious community) .

The costume and headpiece worn by Margaret in this painting are strikingly similar to that of the wife in Quentin Metsys' 1514 painting "The Moneychanger and his Wife" (now in the Louvre), a work heavily influenced by van Eyck.