Ghent Altarpiece - Citizendia

Opened view of the polyptych.

Closed view, back panels.

The Ghent Altarpiece or Adoration of the Mystic Lamb (Dutch: Het Lam Gods or The Lamb of God; completed 1432) is a very large and complex Early Netherlandish polyptych panel painting which was once in the Joost Vijdt chapel at Saint Bavo Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium, but was later moved for security reasons to the chapel of the cathedral. Dutch ( is a West Germanic language spoken by around 24 million people 22 million of which are from the Netherlands, Belgium and Suriname Lamb of God ( Latin: Agnus Dei) is one of the titles given to Jesus in the New Testament and consequently in the Christian Early Netherlandish painting is the work of those painters who were active in the Low Countries during the 15th and early 16th century Northern renaissance A polyptych (from the Greek polu- "many" + ptychē "fold" generally refers to a Painting (usually Panel painting A panel painting is a Painting on a panel made of wood either a single piece or a number of pieces joined together The Saint Bavo Cathedral (also known as Sint-Baafs Cathedral, or the Dutch Sint Baafskathedraal) is the seat of the Diocese of Ghent. Ghent (ˈɡɛnt Gent ʝɛnt in Dutch, Gand in French, and formerly Gaunt in English) is a City and a The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those Commissioned by the wealthy merchant and financier Joost Vijdt, it was begun by Hubert van Eyck, who died in 1426 whilst work was underway, and completed by his younger brother Jan van Eyck. Hubert van Eyck (also Huybrecht van Eyck) (c 1366&ndash1426 was a Flemish painter and older brother of Jan van Eyck. Jan van Eyck or Johannes de Eyck (jɑn vɑn ɛik (before c 1395 &ndash before July 9, 1441) was an Early Netherlandish painter active The altarpiece represented a "new conception of art", in which the idealization of the Classical tradition gave way to an exacting observation of nature. For the works or study of works from classical antiquity see Classics Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to ^[1]

The altarpiece consists of a total of twenty-four compartmented scenes, which make up two views, open and closed, which are changed by moving the hinged outer wings. An altarpiece is a picture or Relief representing a religious subject and suspended in a frame behind the Altar of a church The upper register (row) of the opened view shows Christ the King (but see below) between the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist. Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) This ecumenical article is about general Christian views on and veneration of the Virgin Mary Saint John the Baptist ( heb. Jochanan ben Sacharja, arab. يحيى Yaḥyā or يوحنا Yūḥanna, aram. The insides of the wings represent angels singing and making music, and on the outside Adam and Eve. An angel is a Spiritual Supernatural being found in many Religions Although the nature of angels and the tasks given to them vary from tradition to tradition Adam (אָדָם ʼĀḏām, "dust man mankind" آدم; Ge'ez: አዳ and Eve (חַוָּה Ḥawwā, "living The lower register of the central panel shows the adoration of the Lamb of God, with several groups in attendance and streaming in to worship, overseen by the dove representing the Holy Spirit. Lamb of God ( Latin: Agnus Dei) is one of the titles given to Jesus in the New Testament and consequently in the Christian In mainstream Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is one of the three entities of the Holy Trinity which make up the single substance On week days the wings were closed, showing the Annunciation of Mary and donor portraits of Joost Vijdt and his wife Lysbette Borluut. In Christianity the Annunciation ( grc Ευαγγελισμός της Θεοτόκου, Evangelismós tēs Theotókou in Greek) is the revelation

There used to be an inscription on the frame stating that Hubert van Eyck maior quo nemo repertus (greater than anyone) started the altarpiece, but that Jan van Eyck - calling himself arte secundus (second best in the art) - finished it in 1432. An altarpiece is a picture or Relief representing a religious subject and suspended in a frame behind the Altar of a church The original very ornate carved outer frame and surround, presumably harmonizing with the painted tracery, was destroyed during the Reformation; there has been speculation that it may have included clockwork mechanisms for moving the shutters and even playing music. Tracery is a series of intersecting ribs used in Gothic architecture, especially windows and in the Perpendicular Gothic style vaulting. The Protestant Reformation was a reform movement in Europe that began in 1517 though its roots lie further back in time ^[2]

The original lower left panel known as The Just Judges was stolen in 1934. The Just Judges (145 × 51 cm is the lower left panel of the Ghent Altarpiece, by Jan Van Eyck or his brother Hubert Van Eyck. Year 1934 ( MCMXXXIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The original panel has never been found and has been replaced by a copy made in 1945 by Jef Vanderveken. Jef Vanderveken or Jef Van der Veken (1872 in Antwerp - 1964 in Ixelles) was a Belgian copyist The stolen panel figures prominently in Albert Camus' novel La chute. Albert Camus ( (7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960 was an Algerian born French Author, philosopher, and journalist who won the Nobel prize The Fall ( La Chute) is a Philosophical novel written by Albert Camus.

1 Upper front panels
2 Lower front panels
3 Closed view
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

Upper front panels

Three central figures

The three central upper panels show the Virgin Mary to the left and John the Baptist to the right, but the identity of the central figure is unclear and has led to much debate. Several theories include that it is Christ in trumph and shown as a priest,^[3] God the Father, or the Holy Trinity amalgamated into a single person (the fact that the figure is wearing a triple tiara might lend some credence to this theory). Christ is the English term for the Greek ( Khristós) meaning "the anointed " In many religions the supreme Deity ( God) is given the title and attributions of Father. SSC RF "Troitsk Institute of Innovative and Termonuclear Research" or TRINITY for shprt Троицкий Институт инновационных и термоядерных The Papal Tiara, also known as the Triple Tiara, or in Latin as the ' Triregnum', and in Italian as the ' Triregno', is the three-tiered

The Virgin Mary.

God the Father and Jesus.

John the Baptist.

Singing angels

Surrounding the three figures in the center are angels making music and singing. The clothes, the instruments and the floor are shown in remarkable detail. Hymnals of the period provided instructions on which faces to make when hitting certain notes, and through close study, art historians have been able to identify which notes each angel was singing through their facial expressions. A hymn is a type of Song, usually religious specifically written for the purpose of praise adoration or Prayer, and typically addressed to a deity/deities Even the organ, where Saint Cecilia sits, was painted in such detail that modern musicologists were able to recreate a working copy of the instrument.

Angels - detail.

Angels.

Adam & Eve, Cain and Abel

The upper front panels on the sides show Adam and Eve (to the left and right respectively), both facing the figures in the center. Adam (אָדָם ʼĀḏām, "dust man mankind" آدم; Ge'ez: አዳ and Eve (חַוָּה Ḥawwā, "living They are covering themselves with leaves and Eve is holding a fruit that is not, in fact, the traditional apple but is a small citrus known as an Adam's Apple Garden of Eden. A fig leaf is the covering up of an act or an object that is embarrassing or disagreeable Not to be confused with Eden Gardens.The Garden of Eden ( Hebrew "pleasure" גַּן עֵדֶן Arabic: جنات عدن, Adam seems to be walking out of the picture, giving it a three-dimensional look.

Above them are depictions in grisaille of Abel making a sacrifice of the first lamb of his flock to God and Cain presenting part of his crops as a farmer to the Lord, and the murder of Abel by his brother Cain with an ass's jawbone because, according to the Bible, Cain was jealous of the Lord's acceptance of Abel's offering over Cain's. Grisaille (grĭ-zī' -zāl' French: gris, grey French pronunciation /ɡʁi Van Eyck makes the paintings look like statues, giving depth to the picture.

In the 19th century the naked representations of Adam and Eve were considered unacceptable in a church and the panels were replaced by dressed reproductions, which are still on display in the cathedral outside the Vijdt chapel. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar

Dressed reproduction of Adam and Eve.

Adam.

Eve.

Sacrifices made by Abel and Cain.

Murder of Abel by Cain.

Lower front panels

Lower center panel

The lower front panels show the adoration of the Lamb of God, with people streaming in from all sides to worship the lamb. Lamb of God ( Latin: Agnus Dei) is one of the titles given to Jesus in the New Testament and consequently in the Christian From the sky a dove, representing the Holy Spirit, illuminates the scene. In mainstream Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is one of the three entities of the Holy Trinity which make up the single substance The lamb is surrounded by fourteen angels. In the foreground the fountain of life is flowing into a small river, its bottom covered with jewels. The Fountain of Life, or in its earlier form the Fountain of Living Waters, is a Christian Iconography symbol associated with Baptism, first appearing in A gemstone or gem, also called a precious or semi-precious stone, is a piece of attractive Mineral, which &mdash when cut and polished &mdash

In the foreground to the left, we see a group of kneeling Jewish prophets holding the Bible, or their book of it. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut In Religion, a prophet (or prophetess) is a person who has encountered the Supernatural or the divine and serves as an intermediary Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin Behind them are the pagan philosophers and writers, who have come from all over the world as can be seen by the oriental faces of some and their different types of hats and caps. Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning "country dweller rustic" is a word used to refer to various religions and religious beliefs from across the world Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language The figure in white is probably Virgil, who was seen as a Christian avant-la-lettre. Publius Vergilius Maro ( October 15, 70 BCE &ndash September 21, 19 BCE later called Virgilius, and known in English as Virgil or Publius Vergilius Maro ( October 15, 70 BCE &ndash September 21, 19 BCE later called Virgilius, and known in English as Virgil or To the right we see the twelve apostles, and behind them male saints, with the Popes and other clergy at the front. The Twelve Apostles (Greek apostolos, "someone sent out" e We recognize among others Saint Stephen, carrying the rocks he was stoned with.

In the background we see the martyrs, men (all visible are clergy) to the left and women to the right, all carrying the martyr's palm. The term martyr ( Greek μάρτυς martys "witness" is most commonly used today to describe an individual who sacrifices their life (or personal freedom Some of the women are recognizable by the attributes they are carrying.

Male martyrs, all visible are clergy.

Pagan writers and Jewish prophets.

The Adoration of the Lamb.

Female martyrs.

Male saints, Popes at the front.

Lower side panels

Next to the central panel we see more groups of people. The two panels to the left show the "Just Judges" and the "Knights of Christ". On the right we see hermits and pilgrims, among them the giant Saint Christopher, patron saint of travellers. Saint Christopher ( Greek: Άγιος Χριστόφορος) is a Saint venerated by Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians

The lower panel at the far left, The Just Judges, was stolen in 1934. The Just Judges (145 × 51 cm is the lower left panel of the Ghent Altarpiece, by Jan Van Eyck or his brother Hubert Van Eyck. Although several people have claimed to know its whereabouts, it has never been recovered and is now believed to be destroyed. It was replaced with a copy by Jef Vanderveken in 1945.

Copy of the Just Judges
by Jef Vanderveken

The Knights of Christ.

The Hermits.

The Pilgrims.

Detail

Van Eyck pays as much attention to the beauty of earthly things as to the religious themes. The clothes and jewels, the fountain, nature surrounding the scene, the churches and landscape in the background, everything is painted with remarkable detail. The landscape shows an enormous richness in vegetation, much of it non-European.

A church in the left top corner of the lower center panel.

Churches in the right top corner of the lower center panel.

Horizon of the "Hermits" panel.

Dozens of identifiable flowers are depicted.

Closed view

Annunciation

The main register panels show the Annunciation to Mary across four panels. In Christianity the Annunciation ( grc Ευαγγελισμός της Θεοτόκου, Evangelismós tēs Theotókou in Greek) is the revelation To the left we see the message of the archangel Gabriel, to the right the answer given by Mary, which, as in another van Eyck Annunciation is written upside-down for God to read. Gabriel ( Latin: Gabrielus; Greek:, Gabriēl; Arabic: جبريل Jibrīl or جبرائيل The Annunciation is an Oil painting by the Early Netherlandish master Jan van Eyck, from around 1434-1436 There has been speculation as to whether the view from the window was the view from Van Eyck's workplace in Ghent; this could give us an idea where Van Eyck lived or worked.

The Archangel Gabriel.

Mary.

Jodocus Vijd and Lysbette Borluut

Jodocus Vijd was a very wealthy merchant. The couple was childless and tried to live on in a different way, as patrons of this monumental painting.

Joos Vijdt

Lysbette Borluut

Other panels

Between the donors are Saint John the Baptist and Saint John the Evangelist as statues on plinths, painted in grisaille. Saint John the Evangelist (d ca 110 יוחנן " The LORD is merciful" Standard Hebrew Yoḥanan, Tiberian Hebrew In the top register, the prophets Zaccariah and Micah, look down from lunettes on the fulfillment of their prophecies, which are contained in banderoles floating behind them. In architecture a lunette (French lunette "little moon" and also "glasses" is a half-moon shaped space either masonry or void Between them are two sibyls, whose prophecies were also thought to have foretold the coming of Christ. The word sibyl probably comes (via Latin) from the Greek word sibylla, meaning Prophetess (Other schools of thought suggest that the word The word sibyl probably comes (via Latin) from the Greek word sibylla, meaning Prophetess (Other schools of thought suggest that the word

References

^ Gombrich, E. Renaissance painting bridges the period of European art history between the art of the Middle Ages and Baroque art. H. , The Story of Art, pages 236-9. Phaidon, 1995. ISBN 0 7148 3355 x
^ Website with scanned reconstructions of the frame from Lotte Brand Philip's book, The Ghent Altarpiece]] (Princeton,1971), which originated some of these ideas.
^ Lane, Barbara G,The Altar and the Altarpiece, Sacramental Themes in Early Netherlandish Painting, Harper & Row, 1984, ISBN 0064301338 - pp 109 ff

Schmidt, Peter (2005). Het Lam Gods. Leuven, Belgium: Uitgeverij Davidsfonds. ISBN 90-77942-03-3.

External links

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