The Moment of Faith--Analysis on Jan Van Eyck's The Betrotha
Of all the early Flemish paintings, few are as famous as Jan Van Eyck's The Betrothal of Arnolfini. Its unsurpassed solemnity and painstaking details have epitomized the essence of the early traditions of the Netherlandish art. Finished in 1434, the painting stands 85 cm x 63 cm and is painted on wood. It originally belongs to Margaret of Austria, whose well-documented inventory description reads, "A large painting said to be Hernoul le Fin with his wife within a chamber, which was given to Madame by Don Diego, whose arms are on the cover of this picture made by the painter Johannes." (Dhanens, 195) From this script, the male on the left side of the picture has traditionally been identified as Giovanni Arnolfini, a wealthy and prominent Lucchese merchant living in Bruges until 1472. The female on the right is said to be Giovanna Cenami, the daughter of another successful Lucchese merchant. The contemporary law in the fifteenth century recognizes the validity of a marriage even without any written documents or marriage ceremonies, provided the parties are of equal rank and their consent can be confirmed by the testimony of friends. (Gies, 293) Therefore, this particular painting in which Giovanni Arnolfini holds the right h
" (Sheehan, 167) Arnolfini's oath in this painting is by classification deemed the highest sincerity, that of a promissory oath. The females in both pictures have an innocent but enlightened look. With his masterful incorporation of appearance, gestures, setting, and objects, Jan Van Eyck ingeniously captures this solemn moment in which a man and a woman is united by faith under God with pictorial elements of sacredness, intimacy, and blessing of fertility. In this form God is called upon to witness that whatever is promised will be carried out, as the linear direction of the hand points straight to the single candle burning on the chandelier, which is an emblem of all-seeing Christ (discussed later in this essay). The hung bed with its canopy as well as the high-back chair alongside are called the furniture of estate in the fifteenth century. Their voluminous masses connect the window on the left with the hung bed on the right. The line of attention then shifts along the touching hands to the bed on the left. The fall of sun is metaphorical of the fall of Adam and subsequently, of Christ. Third, fertility is a major motif in many Flemish paintings. In using the four devices mentioned above, Van Eyck presents to his viewers a sincere testimony of the unification of a man and a woman. The symbolism is affirmed by the fact that the candle is not necessary in this light-filled room when wax is very expensive in the Medieval Age. It is the exact message Van Eyck is trying to send, that Arnolfini's appearance is a statement of his nobility and prominence as a proof of his readiness and thoughtfulness to the marriage, very fittingly for a fifteenth century urban-class merchant. It concurs with a consistent belief in the Christianity and in the Medieval Age, that the man is the center of universe and all happen around him, especially on the important events such as a marriage. As the two joining hands, The horizontal, rounded folds of her gown complemented beautifully with the vertical, downward pattern of Arnolfini's garments.
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