The Ghent Altarpiece: a masterpiece with an adventurous history
Looted, burned and hidden: Jan van Eyck's Ghent Altarpiece had an eventful history over the centuries. But the revolutionary realism of the paintings remains just as spectacular.
A bit too human
On the left is the way the "Lamb of God," depicted on the Ghent Altarpiece, looked before its restoration. Even though it had three ears, it otherwise looked like a normal sheep. With its forward-facing eyes and its smaller nose, the new version of the lamb, though truer to van Eyck's original, was criticized for its peculiarly humanoid features.
The adoration of the Lamb of God
The lamb is at the center of this scene in the middle part of the altarpiece, which is also known as "Adoration of the Mystic Lamb." It depicts a vision described in the Book of Revelation, according to which people from all parts of the world worship the Lamb of God. Van Eyck's style of painting, with its microscopic realistic details, was revolutionary for the 15th century.
Nature up-close
This detail from the restored altarpiece shows van Eyck's extremely realistic and delicate portrayal of nature. "Botanists can basically identify every single plant in the picture," said head restorer Helene Dubois. The ones that could not be identified had not been created by Jan van Eyck, but were rather overpaintings.
Stunning colors visible again
The colors shine in a new light and are much stronger. But it wasn't easy to remove the paint that covered van Eyck's original. Any scratch that was too deep could have caused millions of euros in damage, said Hilde de Clercq, who was involved in the restoration. But everything went well; only five percent of the original paint could not be saved.
Missing link
The panel "Just Judges" was stolen in 1934. Today a copy of the painting complements the altar. Zooming in on the work that includes includes portraits of contemporaries like the Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Good, again underscores van Eyck's talent for lifelike reproduction. Capes, furs and faces look deceptively real.
Quality not quantity
From February 1 to April 30, the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent will be presenting one of its largest exhibitions, but also one of its smallest in terms of size. Just 20 works can be assigned to Jan van Eyck, with the museum presenting just half of these in its show "Van Eyck. An Optical Revolution." Visitors can of course also view the restored altar up close.