Delphi Complete Works of Jan van Eyck (Illustrated)

By Jan van Eyck

Jan van Eyck was a fifteenth century Netherlandish painter of altarpieces, single-panel religious figures and commissioned portraits, who perfected the newly developed technique of oil painting. Panel paintings like the ‘Arnolfini Portrait’ and ‘The Ghent Altarpiece’ are celebrated for their unprecedented use of naturalism, complex iconography and geometric perspective. Although only 22 paintings are confidently attributed to Van Eyck, his virtuosity and pioneering developments would have a lasting impact on the course of Western art. This eBook presents van Eyck’s complete works in stunning detail, with concise introductions, hundreds of high quality images and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1)

* The complete paintings of Jan van Eyck – over 350 images, fully indexed and arranged in chronological order
* Features concise introductions for all 22 extant paintings, giving valuable contextual information
* Enlarged ‘Detail’ images, allowing you to explore van Eyck’s works in detail, as featured in traditional art books
* Hundreds of images in colour – highly recommended for viewing on tablets and smartphones or as a valuable reference tool on more conventional eReaders
* Easily locate the artworks you wish to view
* Special glossary of the artist’s paintings
* Includes van Eyck's drawings, disputed works and workshop paintings – explore the artist’s varied works
* Features three bonus biographies – discover van Eyck's world

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CONTENTS:

The Paintings
Ghent Altarpiece
Portrait of a Man with a Blue Chaperon
Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata
Crucifixion and Last Judgement
Portrait of Cardinal Niccolò Albergati
Léal Souvenir
Portrait of a Man in a Turban (Self Portrait)
Arnolfini Portrait
Annunciation (Washington)
Annunciation (Madrid)
Portrait of Baudouin de Lannoy
Madonna of Chancellor Rolin
Portrait of Jan de Leeuw
Virgin and Child with Canon van der Paele
Dresden Triptych
Lucca Madonna
Portrait of Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini
Madonna in the Church
Portrait of Margaret van Eyck
Madonna at the Fountain
Madonna of Jan Vos

Glossary of the Paintings

Other Artworks
List of Drawings, Lost, Disputed and Workshop Works

The Biographies
Extract from ‘Life of Antonello Da Messina’ (1550) by Giorgio Vasari
Van Eyck (1905) by J. Cyril M. Weale
Jan van Eyck (1911) by Joseph Archer Crowe

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Delphi Classics Ltd
• Release date: Aug 6, 2020
• ISBN: 9781913487287

Book preview

Jan van Eyck

(c. 1390-1441)

Contents

The Paintings

The Ghent Altarpiece

Portrait of a Man with a Blue Chaperon

Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata

Crucifixion and Last Judgement

Portrait of Cardinal Niccolò Albergati

Léal Souvenir

Portrait of a Man in a Turban (Self Portrait)

Arnolfini Portrait

Annunciation (Washington)

Annunciation (Madrid)

Portrait of Baudouin de Lannoy

Madonna of Chancellor Rolin

Portrait of Jan de Leeuw

Virgin and Child with Canon van der Paele

Dresden Triptych

Lucca Madonna

Portrait of Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini

Madonna in the Church

Portrait of Margaret van Eyck

Madonna at the Fountain

Madonna of Jan Vos

Glossary of the Paintings

Other Artworks

List of Drawings, Lost, Disputed and Workshop Works

The Biographies

Extract from ‘Life of Antonello Da Messina’ (1550) by Giorgio Vasari

Van Eyck (1905) by J. Cyril M. Weale

Jan van Eyck (1911) by Joseph Archer Crowe

The Delphi Classics Catalogue

© Delphi Classics 2020

Version 1

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Masters of Art Series

Jan van Eyck

By Delphi Classics, 2020

COPYRIGHT

Masters of Art - Jan van Eyck

First published in the United Kingdom in 2020 by Delphi Classics.

© Delphi Classics, 2020.

All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form other than that in which it is published.

ISBN: 978 1 91348 728 7

Delphi Classics

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Delphi Publishing Ltd

Hastings, East Sussex

United Kingdom

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The Paintings

Maaseik, a town in the Belgian province of Limburg —the assumed birthplace of Jan van Eyck

The Binnenhof, The Hague, Netherlands — Van Eyck’s birthplace remains unknown. The first recorded mention of the painter states that he served as valet de chamber to John of Bavaria-Straubing, in the residence of the counts of Holland, which would become the political centre of the Dutch Republic in 1584.

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The Paintings

In this section, van Eyck’s complete extant paintings (22 in total) are provided in chronological order, with concise introductions, special ‘detail’ reproductions and additional biographical images.

The Ghent Altarpiece

A painter from the County of Loon in present day Belgium, Jan van Eyck remains an enigmatic figure of Early Netherlandish painting. Very little is known of his early life, with neither the date nor place of his birth being documented with certainty. The first record comes from the court of John of Bavaria at The Hague where, between 1422 and 1424, payments were made to a Meyster Jan den malre (Master Jan the painter), then serving as a court painter with the rank of valet de chambre, aided by one and later two assistants. This would indicate a date of birth of 1395 at the latest. However, the probable self portrait (located in London’s National Gallery), dated to 1433, would suggest a date closer to 1380. In the late sixteenth century, van Eyck was recorded as having been born in Maaseik, a borough of the prince-bishopric of Liège, though this is now questioned by some. His daughter Lievine was recorded as being placed in a nunnery in Maaseik after her father’s death, suggesting the artist’s connection to the town. Also, several notes on his preparatory drawing for Portrait of Cardinal Niccolò Albergati are written in the Maasland dialect.

Records indicate that van Eyck had a sister called Margareta, and at least two brothers, who also became painters. Hubert, who died in 1426, likely served his apprenticeship with van Eyck, while Lambert was active between 1431 and 1442. The order of their births has yet to be established with certainty. It is not known where van Eyck was educated, but his works demonstrate knowledge of Latin, Greek and Hebrew alphabets, suggesting that he was schooled in the classics — a level of education rare among artists of the day.

We do know that van Eyck served as an official to John of Bavaria-Straubing, the ruler of Holland, Hainault and Zeeland. By this time, he had already assembled a small workshop and was involved in redecorating the Binnenhof palace in The Hague. After his patron’s death in 1425, van Eyck relocated to Bruges, where he soon came to the attention of Philip the Good in c. 1425. This influential ruler was the Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death in 1467; he was a member of a cadet line of the Valois dynasty, to which all the fifteenth century kings of France belonged. During Philip’s reign, the Burgundian State reached the apex of its prosperity and prestige, attaining the reputation of a leading centre of the arts. Philip is known in history for his administrative reforms, his patronage of artists like van Eyck and Franco-Flemish composers such as Gilles Binchois, as well as the famous capture of Joan of Arc. In political affairs, he alternated between alliances with the English and the French in an attempt to improve his dynasty’s position.

Van Eyck’s emergence as a collectable painter generally follows his appointment to Philip’s court, and from this point his activity at court is comparatively well documented. He served as court artist and diplomat, and in time became a senior member of the Tournai painters’ guild. On 18 October 1427, the Feast of Saint Luke, he travelled to Tournai to attend a banquet held in his honour, also attended by fellow artists Robert Campin and Rogier van der Weyden.

The Ghent Altarpiece is a large and complex polyptych, housed in Saint Bavo’s Cathedral, Ghent. The altarpiece was commissioned by the merchant and Ghent mayor Jodocus Vijd and his wife Lysbette as part of a larger project for the Saint Bavo Cathedral chapel. Art historians are generally in agreement that the overall structure was designed by van Eyck’s brother Hubert in the early 1420’s, most likely before 1422, and that the panels were painted by Jan. Generations of scholars have attempted to attribute specific aspects to either brother and yet no convincing separation has been established. The installation of the altarpiece was officially celebrated on 6 May 1432. For security reasons, it was moved many years later to the principal cathedral chapel, where it remains to this day.

A masterpiece of European art, it features several panels organised in two vertical registers, each with double sets of foldable wings, with inner and outer panel paintings. The upper register of the inner panels portrays the heavenly redemption, with the central figures of Christ, the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Baptist. They are followed in the next panels by several angels playing musical instruments, in turn bordered by the nude, somewhat disturbing figures of Adam and Eve. The four lower-register panels are divided into two pairs; firstly, sculptural grisaille paintings of Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist; secondly, on the two outer panels, there are donor portraits of Joost Vijdt and his wife Lysbette Borluut. The central panel of the lower register depicts a detailed gathering of saints, sinners, clergy and soldiers attendant at an adoration of the Lamb of God. This includes several groupings of figures, overseen by the dove of the Holy Spirit.

In many ways the polyptych differs from other works by van Eyck, not least in scale. For example, it is the only one of his extant works that was intended for public, rather than private, worship and display. Interestingly, van Eyck pays as much attention to the intrinsic beauty of earthly things as to the religious figures. Clothes, jewels, a fountain, scenes of nature and the churches in the background are all replicated in remarkable detail. The landscape is depicted with unprecedented naturalism and scientific accuracy, portraying a vivid scene, rich with vegetation.

Another important innovation of the polyptych is van Eyck’s use of lighting. The panels demonstrate complex light effects, with subtle plays of shadow, achieved with oil paint and transparent glazes. The figures are represented with short, diagonal shadows, heightening their spatial presence, as the primary light source appears to be beyond the altarpiece itself, making the forms more imposing and significant. Van Eyck also employs a novel technique of portraying detailed surface textures, especially in the numerous reflections of light, as seen in the armour in the Knights of Christ panel and the ripple of water in the Fountain of life in the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb. Many art historians view the altarpiece as a significant advancement in Western art, in which the idealisation of the medieval tradition gives way to an exacting observation of nature and human representation, paving the way for the advancements of the Renaissance era.

Several of the altarpiece’s wings were bought in 1816 by Edward Solly, an English collector in Berlin, and then five years later sold to the King of Prussia, Frederick William III and they remained in Germany for over a century. In 1934 two panels, The Just Judges and Saint John the Baptist, were stolen, with the latter being soon returned, though The Just Judges panel has never been recovered. During World War I, the remaining panels were taken from the cathedral by Germany forces. As part of mandated compensation in the Versailles Treaty after the war, Germany returned the panels along with the original panels that had been legitimately bought by Solly, to help compensate for other German acts of destruction during the conflict. However, the German authorities bitterly resented the loss of the panels and at the start of the Second World War, a decision was made in Belgium to send the panels to the Vatican, where they could be kept safe. As they were on their way to the Vatican, but still in France, Italy declared war as an Axis power alongside Germany. Therefore, a new plan was formed and they were stored in a museum in Pau