Famous Dutch painting: The Marriage of Arnolfini

[New Sancai Compilation and First Release] "The Arnolfini Wedding" (The Arnolfini Wedding), also known as "Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and his Wife", or "Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini" ( The Arnolfini Portrait), a 1434 oil painting by the Dutch painter Jan van Eyck (1390-1441) (above). Depicted is the Italian merchant Arnolfini and his wife, probably at their residence in the trading town of Bruges. The painting is housed in the British National Gallery.

It is considered one of the most original and complex paintings in Western art, and the people in the painting have their shoes off, representing holiness and implying that a sacred ceremony, namely marriage, is taking place. The woman in the painting wears a white veil, implying that she is getting married.

Only one candle represents God. Orange represents wealth and also represents sacredness. The puppy represents loyalty, which is a blessing for marriage.

Although many viewers believed that the wife was pregnant, this was not the case. Art historians have noted that many paintings of female virgin saints wear similar clothing, and believe the look was popular in women's clothing at the time. Fashion is important to Arnolfini, especially since he is a fabric merchant. The more clothes a person wears, the wealthier he or she is considered to be.

Historian Herman Colenbrander said the painting may depict an ancient German custom in which husbands promise to give gifts to their brides the morning after their wedding night. He also suggested that the painting might have been a gift from the artist to his friend.

We can also notice that there is a concave mirror that reflects rich images (left in the picture below), which is a well-known concave mirror. The scene in the mirror shows that there are two figures inside the door facing the couple, one It is a blue knight, and a red knight beside him may be a self-portrait of the artist Jan van Eyck.

(Compilation: Bai Ding)

(Editor in charge: Jiang Qiming)

(Source of the article: New Sancai first release)