One candle burning represents the presence of Christ and the taking of an oath.
The crystal beads and spotless mirror indicate Mary’s purity.
The fruit on the windowsill could refer to man’s innocence in the Garden of Eden or that the couple could afford to buy it.
The shoes on the floor show it is a holy place for a sacred ceremony.
Figure 5.4 Symbolic references in The Arnolfini Portrait.
reflection of the mirror. This suggests the artist was a witness, and to emphasise this he has signed his name on the wall. The formal decorative handwriting says ‘Johannes van Eyck fuit hic 1434’ (which means ‘Jan van Eyck was here 1434’).
Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) Albrecht Dürer was the leading artist of the German Renaissance in the early 16th century. He was noted for his mastery of drawing, printmaking and woodcuts, as well as his portraits and nature studies.
He was a learned man and was inspired by the philosophies of Erasmus. He travelled to Italy and was very envious of the high status that artists enjoyed there. He was influenced by Italian art, but his own style remained very individual.
Self-portraits Figure 5.5 Mirror detail of The Arnolfini Portrait. CHAPTER 5 THE RENAISSANCE IN NORTHERN EUROPE
Dürer painted a series of self-portraits between the ages of 22 and 28. The most striking of these shows the artist full-face, with flowing hair, staring coldly out of the picture (Fig. 5.6).
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Children of the marriage are suggested by a carving of St Margaret (patron saint of childbirth) on the back of a wooden chair, overlooking the marriage bed.
The bride stands in a way that suggests pregnancy.
The dog could represent faithfulness in marriage or that the couple could afford to keep a pet.
