The Ghent Altarpiece
Artist: Jan van Eyck
Year Composed: 1432
Artistic Movement: Golden Age
Nationality: Netherlands
Floor Found in Château: Basement
Year Composed: 1432
Artistic Movement: Golden Age
Nationality: Netherlands
Floor Found in Château: Basement
About the Artwork
Also known as the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, Jan van Eyck's Ghent Altarpiece is considered to be one of the greatest masterpieces of art and art history. The upper panel depicts Christ the King, Saint John the Baptist, and the Virgin Mary. Music-playing angels and figures adorn the panels in the upper row to the left and right of the central trio. On the outer panels in the upper row are the nude depictions of Adam and Eve. The bottom row of panels complete a large panoramic scene of the Adoration of the Lamb of God. Popularity of this masterful painting rose with the release of the movie The Monuments Men, as the Ghent Altarpiece plays an iconic role of art in its recovery during the movie as the panels were stolen by the Nazi Army during the Second World War.
About the Artist
Commissioned by the Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Good, Flemish painter Jan van Eyck was known for his panel paintings, canvas paintings, portraits, genre paintings, and even altarpieces. As one of the founders of the Dutch Golden Age of painting, van Eyck was able to paint until he was content with his composition, allowing him the freedom to implement an extremely realistic style and aesthetic within his paintings. With the new use of oils in his paintings, van Eyck gave the art world his Ghent Altarpiece (1420-1432), Arnolfini Portrait (1434), and his Portrait of a Man (1433), all which feature prominently within the Hall of the Art Thieves.
About the Movement
The Ghent Altarpiece was composed in the Dutch Golden Age of art. The Dutch Golden Age that spanned the 17th Century (or during the 1600s) in the Netherlands. During this time, the Dutch economy and culture was flourishing due to their rise in maritime trading, banking system, and rise of the middle class. The aesthetics of the Golden Age followed the Baroque Age of art, however the content of most works revolved around genre, everyday scenes of Dutch society. Some of the most famous Dutch Golden Age artists included Rembrandt van Rijn, Johannes Vermeer, and Jan van Eyck.
Location of Original Work of Art: Saint Bavo's Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium
Also known as the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, Jan van Eyck's Ghent Altarpiece is considered to be one of the greatest masterpieces of art and art history. The upper panel depicts Christ the King, Saint John the Baptist, and the Virgin Mary. Music-playing angels and figures adorn the panels in the upper row to the left and right of the central trio. On the outer panels in the upper row are the nude depictions of Adam and Eve. The bottom row of panels complete a large panoramic scene of the Adoration of the Lamb of God. Popularity of this masterful painting rose with the release of the movie The Monuments Men, as the Ghent Altarpiece plays an iconic role of art in its recovery during the movie as the panels were stolen by the Nazi Army during the Second World War.
About the Artist
Commissioned by the Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Good, Flemish painter Jan van Eyck was known for his panel paintings, canvas paintings, portraits, genre paintings, and even altarpieces. As one of the founders of the Dutch Golden Age of painting, van Eyck was able to paint until he was content with his composition, allowing him the freedom to implement an extremely realistic style and aesthetic within his paintings. With the new use of oils in his paintings, van Eyck gave the art world his Ghent Altarpiece (1420-1432), Arnolfini Portrait (1434), and his Portrait of a Man (1433), all which feature prominently within the Hall of the Art Thieves.
About the Movement
The Ghent Altarpiece was composed in the Dutch Golden Age of art. The Dutch Golden Age that spanned the 17th Century (or during the 1600s) in the Netherlands. During this time, the Dutch economy and culture was flourishing due to their rise in maritime trading, banking system, and rise of the middle class. The aesthetics of the Golden Age followed the Baroque Age of art, however the content of most works revolved around genre, everyday scenes of Dutch society. Some of the most famous Dutch Golden Age artists included Rembrandt van Rijn, Johannes Vermeer, and Jan van Eyck.
Location of Original Work of Art: Saint Bavo's Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium