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diff --git a/41798-8.txt b/41798-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 99c744c..0000000 --- a/41798-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1606 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Van Eyck, by James Cyril M. Weale - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - - - - -Title: Van Eyck - Masterpieces in Colour Series - - -Author: James Cyril M. Weale - - - -Release Date: January 7, 2013 [eBook #41798] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VAN EYCK*** - - -E-text prepared by sp1nd, Charlie Howard, and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made -available by Internet Archive (http://archive.org) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 41798-h.htm or 41798-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/41798/41798-h/41798-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/41798/41798-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - http://archive.org/details/vaneyckocad00wealuoft - - - - - -MASTERPIECES IN COLOUR - -Edited by T. Leman Hare - -VAN EYCK - -Hubert, 1365 (?)-1426 -John, 1385 (?)-1441 - - * * * * * - -"MASTERPIECES IN COLOUR" SERIES - - - ARTIST. AUTHOR. - - BELLINI. GEORGE HAY. - BOTTICELLI. HENRY B. BINNS. - BOUCHER. C. HALDANE MACFALL. - BURNE-JONES. A. LYS BALDRY. - CARLO DOLCI. GEORGE HAY. - CHARDIN. PAUL G. KONODY. - CONSTABLE. C. LEWIS HIND. - COROT. SIDNEY ALLNUTT. - DA VINCI. M. W. BROCKWELL. - DELACROIX. PAUL G. KONODY. - DÜRER. H. E. A. FURST. - FRA ANGELICO. JAMES MASON. - FRA FILIPPO LIPPI. PAUL G. KONODY. - FRAGONARD. C. HALDANE MACFALL. - FRANZ HALS. EDGCUMBE STALEY. - GAINSBOROUGH. MAX ROTHSCHILD. - GREUZE. ALYS EYRE MACKLIN. - HOGARTH. C. LEWIS HIND. - HOLBEIN. S. L. BENSUSAN. - HOLMAN HUNT. MARY E. COLERIDGE. - INGRES. A. J. FINBERG. - LAWRENCE. S. L. BENSUSAN. - LE BRUN, VIGÉE. C. HALDANE MACFALL. - LEIGHTON. A. LYS BALDRY. - LUINI. JAMES MASON. - MANTEGNA. MRS. ARTHUR BELL. - MEMLINC. W. H. J. & J. C. WEALE. - MILLAIS. A. LYS BALDRY. - MILLET. PERCY M. TURNER. - MURILLO. S. L. BENSUSAN. - PERUGINO. SELWYN BRINTON. - RAEBURN. JAMES L. CAW. - RAPHAEL. PAUL G. KONODY. - REMBRANDT. JOSEF ISRAELS. - REYNOLDS. S. L. BENSUSAN. - ROMNEY. C. LEWIS HIND. - ROSSETTI. LUCIEN PISSARRO. - RUBENS. S. L. BENSUSAN. - SARGENT. T. MARTIN WOOD. - TINTORETTO. S. L. BENSUSAN. - TITIAN. S. L. BENSUSAN. - TURNER. C. LEWIS HIND. - VAN DYCK. PERCY M. TURNER. - VAN EYCK. J. CYRIL M. WEALE. - VELAZQUEZ. S. L. BENSUSAN. - WATTEAU. C. LEWIS HIND. - WATTS. W. LOFTUS HARE. - WHISTLER. T. MARTIN WOOD. - - _Others in Preparation._ - - * * * * * - - -[Illustration: PLATE I.--THE ADORATION OF THE LAMB - -(By Hubert van Eyck) - -The centre-piece of the Ghent Polyptych, in the Cathedral of that town. -The panel was completed in or before 1426. See page 28.] - - -VAN EYCK - -by - -J. CYRIL M. WEALE - -Illustrated with Eight Reproductions in Colour - - - - - - - -[Illustration: IN SEMPITERNUM.] - -London: T. C. & E. C. Jack -New York: Frederick A. Stokes Co. - - - - -TO MY MOTHER - -IN TOKEN OF REVERENCE AND LOVE - - - - -CONTENTS - - - Page - I. The Advent of the Van Eycks 11 - - II. Hubert's Novitiate 17 - - III. The Great Polyptych 22 - - IV. In the Service of Burgundy 42 - - V. Period of Great Endeavour 58 - - VI. A Note in Conclusion 77 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - Plate - I. The Adoration of the Lamb, _c._ 1426 Frontispiece - (By Hubert van Eyck.--The Cathedral, Ghent) - - Page - II. Choir of Angels, _c._ 1426 14 - (By Hubert van Eyck.--Royal Gallery, Berlin) - - III. Portrait of "Tymotheos," 1432 24 - (By John van Eyck.--National Gallery, London, No. 290) - - IV. Portrait of the Painter's Father-in-law, 1433 34 - (By John van Eyck.--National Gallery, London, No. 222) - - V. John Arnolfini and Joan Cenani, his Wife, 1434 40 - (By John van Eyck.--National Gallery, London, No. 186) - - VI. The Virgin and Child, St. Donatian and St. George, and - Canon G. Van der Paele, 1436 50 - (By John van Eyck.--Town Gallery, Bruges) - - VII. Portrait of Margaret van Eyck, the Painter's Wife, 1439 60 - (By John van Eyck.--Town Gallery, Bruges) - - VIII. The Virgin and Child, and Chancellor Rolin, date - uncertain 70 - (By -- van Eyck.--The Louvre, Paris) - - - - -[Illustration: John. Hubert.] - - - - -I - -THE ADVENT OF THE VAN EYCKS - - -The advent of the Van Eycks is the most important landmark in the -history of painting in northern Europe. With them we open an entirely -new chapter, for although the value of oil in various inferior processes -of the art had been ascertained and availed of at an earlier period, it -was entirely due to their long and painstaking experiments that its use -was perfected as the vehicle of colouring matter in picture-painting. -Unfortunately, time and its worst incidentals have obliterated the -evidence which would have enabled us to follow the development of this -new method, just as they have robbed us of all the earlier work of its -original expounders, leaving us at the same time much too inconsiderable -remains for a comprehensive survey of the school of which they were the -finished product. It is a disconcerting experience to encounter -primarily the lifework of two such eminent painters at a stage when they -were already in the plenitude of their powers, and an experience that -must always tax the ingenuity of the student and critic of their art. -Particularly is this the case in respect of the elder brother, for the -ascertained facts of Hubert's history are restricted to the last two -years of his life (1425-26), while of the masterpieces he bequeathed to -posterity only one can be said to be absolutely authenticated, though of -others generally ascribed to him several may safely be accepted as -genuine. John's career, on the other hand, can be traced back to -1424, but the chronology from that date to his death in 1441 is fairly -ample, while he has left us a rich heritage of attested paintings to -exemplify the varying aspects of his remarkable genius. - -[Illustration: PLATE II.--CHOIR OF ANGELS - -(By Hubert van Eyck) - -The first dexter lateral panel in the upper zone of the interior of the -Great Polyptych: now in the Royal Gallery, Berlin. Painted in or before -1426. See page 31.] - -It was in the nature of things that the monastic institutions, which in -the early Middle Ages were exclusively the nurseries of learning and of -the arts and crafts, should have infected these with the mystic spirit -induced by the more or less contemplative life its inmates led. More -especially must this have been so when we consider that their labours -were wholly in the service of religion. As time went on, and monasticism -progressed from the pursuit to the dissemination of knowledge, the -pupils developed under its influence were naturally imbued with the same -spirit, and so a tradition grew up and spread which held undisputed sway -for a considerable period in the various centres where artists -congregated and formed schools. In the earlier Rhenish school of Cöln -this was the dominant note of its art, which it cherished and sustained -in all its purity and simplicity to a later period than any of its -offshoots and rivals; for as its teaching extended, more particularly -northwards, we are conscious of a weakening of its traditions, of a -gradual evolution from the spiritual idealism of its mystic brotherhood -to the more humanistic realism that is the distinctive feature of -Netherlandish art, from the utter sinking of personality to the frank -assertion of individuality. Nor does this divergence necessarily bespeak -a weakening of religious vitality: rather is it to be ascribed to a -marked difference of temperament and race characteristics. Neither could -this change have been as abrupt as might appear from the scant remains -of the art of the period. It was a natural growth, the one inherent -quality of all such developments, ever tending to the elaboration of a -higher type, and eventually producing its finest exemplification in the -person of Hubert van Eyck. In his younger brother, on the other hand, -who almost belonged to another generation, we soon note a more striking -falling away from the earlier ideals, and in the event an almost total -emancipation from the canons of the mystic school, the explanation of -which is probably to be sought in an equally marked difference of -character and temperament in the two brothers: the one more poetic and -imaginative, the other more objective and materialistic; the one drawing -his inspiration from a humble and devout cultivation of art by the light -of the sanctuary, the other from a devotion to art for art's sole sake, -involving all the difference that divides the expression of beauty of -thought and mere beauty of form, the spiritual and the intellectual: -each nevertheless supreme in his own sphere, and wielding an influence -and authority destined to leave their impress on all the after-work of -the school. - - - - -II - -HUBERT'S NOVITIATE - - -The small rural town of Maaseyck, on the left bank of the Maas, in the -old duchy of Limburg, was the home of the Van Eycks and the birthplace -of the elect of their stock, Hubert's coming being traditionally -associated with the year 1365, John's with 1385. In the absence of -documentary evidence to the contrary, these data are acceptable as -founded on reasonable conjecture. There is no record of their parentage, -but we know of a third brother, named Lambert, and of a kinsman, one -Henry van Eyck, whose exact relationship has not been established. As -the early instinct of genius revealed the true bent of the elder lad's -disposition, the outstanding advantages of a distinguished school of -painting within hail almost of their doors naturally appealed to parents -anxious to give effect to their son's aspirations; so to Maastricht they -turned, where the boy was duly apprenticed to one or other of its -recognised masters. Having served his articles and in due course been -admitted to the rank of journeyman, the youthful artist, now free to -qualify for his mastership, entered upon the most interesting period of -his education, a period largely spent, according to the custom of the -time, in foreign travel; and it is with this stage of Hubert's career -that criticism first finds legitimate occupation. - -Futile as would be the attempt to trace a definite itinerary, it is -allowable to conjecture that the mother school of Cöln would mark the -first stage in the young artist's travels: in the centre-piece of the -great polyptych we discover in the background architectural work -distinctly reminiscent of that city, and detail unmistakably Rhenish in -character, testifying to a close acquaintance with the district. -Evidence of similar import, such as the cathedral in the Louvre picture -and the city view with a faithful presentation of Old Saint Paul's as -seen from the south in that of Baron Gustave Rothschild's collection, on -the confident assumption that these are from the brush of Hubert, -bespeak visits to France and England; while the landscape work in all -his paintings betrays so intimate an acquaintance with central and -southern European scenery as almost to compel us into the beaten tracks -of the wandering artist-student of the time through Switzerland and the -south of France, to sunny Italy and erubescent Spain. The variety of his -mountain scenery--undulating hills and snow-capped peaks, rugged crags -and Alpine heights; the depth of his liquid skies and spacious -firmaments, with their marvellous cloud and light effects, melodies in -colour that breathe the warmth of a southern sun; and the extent of his -botanical lore, embracing the olive and citron, the stone pine and -cypress, the date-palm and palmetto, naturalised exotics of the -Mediterranean slopes--all these and other particulars too numerous to -list bear the hall-mark of knowledge garnered in the observant pursuit -of local colouring. - -For so much there is ample warrant, and within the limits of such -guarded conclusions the critic incurs little danger from the many -pitfalls that beset the by-paths of deductive reasoning. But seeing that -the most of our knowledge of Hubert's life-work is arrived at by this -method of inquiry, it is essential that every inference should at least -stand the test of probability. To argue, for example, from the -presentation of a particular palm-tree a pilgrimage to the Holy Land is -to offend the laws of proportion; to discern in the picture of the -walled city of Jerusalem in "The Three Marys at the Sepulchre" work -evidently "from a sketch made on the spot" would appear more -justifiable, until one is reminded of the fact that the defences of the -Holy City, pulled down in 1239, were not rebuilt until 1542; but surely -it is speculation run riot, in the attempt to vindicate a preconceived -theory, when the simple, unobtrusive artist is made, "after the -adventurous manner of his time," to join a crusade and journey to -Palestine, seeing that the last of these gallant enterprises had taken -place full seventy years before he ever saw the light of day. Without, -however, incurring the reproach of outraging probability, we may -apportion the usual four years of Hubert's term of journeymanship -between the countries already indicated, his wanderings likely enough -terminating with the visit to England before his return to the Low -Countries to settle down to his life's work as a master painter, his -range of knowledge tremendously enlarged, his technique broadened and -perfected in the various schools and workshops through which he had -passed, his imagination fertilised, his creative powers strengthened, -his faculty of utterance and expression developed--in short, fully -equipped at all points to startle the world with the first-fruits of his -as yet unrealised genius. - - - - -III - -THE GREAT POLYPTYCH - - -So, back to Maaseyck and to Maastricht: to family rejoicings and the -generous welcome of old friends, no light matter when ordered on the -good old Netherlandish scale. Anxiety there, of course, and much -curiosity here, as to how the promise of early talent would be justified -by the ripening fruit. Nor could the issue have been long in doubt. The -indispensable test triumphantly passed, the customary formalities duly -complied with, and Hubert van Eyck took his place among the master -painters of his time, soon to claim rank among the élite of them -all. Of wife or children not a whisper, but in an age when civism spelt -patriotism, and marriage was recognised as one of the prime moral -obligations of a loyal citizen, it is inconceivable that a man of his -sterling sense of duty should have done other than conform to the -established practice. His home and workshop were from the outset -probably cheered by the presence of his younger brother John, fired by -the born artist's enthusiasm to follow in his senior's footsteps. This -Maastricht studio no doubt also witnessed the inception of that long -series of experiments, secretly shared in by the two brothers until -carried to perfection, which gave to the world the new art of -oil-painting, and so laid all the after ages under the deepest -obligation to them. - -[Illustration: PLATE III.--PORTRAIT OF "TYMOTHEOS" - -(By John van Eyck) - -A Presentation Portrait, probably from the Painter to his friend -"Timothy," a Greek humanist whose Christian name only is known. The -inscription at the foot reads: "Actum anno Domini 1432, 10 die Octobris, -a Iohanne de Eyck." No. 290 in the National Gallery, London. See pages -63, 64.] - -John's apprenticeship ended, and he in turn started on his travels, -Hubert would appear to have removed to Holland, where painters and -miniaturists of the early years of the fifteenth century repeatedly -exhibit marked traces of his influence; where also miniatures in a Book -of Hours, of date 1412 to 1417, to the order of Count William for the -use of his only daughter, the fair and ill-starred Jacqueline, are -judged to have been executed by him on the strength of the many points -of resemblance they bear to the Great Polyptych. The commission of the -latter work itself is now confidently attributed to the same prince. -Observe the prominence given to the tower of Saint Martin's at Utrecht -and the adjacent view of Cöln in the centre-piece, "The Adoration of the -Lamb," and to St. Martin himself, the patron saint of Utrecht, in the -panel of "The Knights of Christ," the banner in his grasp, moreover, -charged with the arms of that town: the Count's territory was in the -diocese of Utrecht and the ecclesiastical province of Cöln. So much -depends on the origin of this commission in apportioning the respective -share each of the brothers had in its execution that the further fact -must not be overlooked that Ghent, for which the great work was -completed, had no sort of connection with either Utrecht or Cöln, being -in the diocese of Tournay and the ecclesiastical province of Rheims, -while the only saint in the altar-piece specially connected with Ghent -who is characterised by an emblem--St. Livin, to wit--was also widely -venerated in Zeeland. Finally, not to labour this aspect of the question -unduly, the inscription on the frame attributes, not the picture's -inception, but its completion, to Jodoc Vyt, the eventual donor--a form -of words so singular as to admit of no other interpretation than the -plain meaning the expression conveys. - -Count William passed away on the 31st of May 1417, leaving an only -child, Jacqueline, aged seventeen, by his wife, Margaret of Burgundy, -who had predeceased him. Her uncle, John of Bavaria, Prince-Bishop of -Liège, an unscrupulous ruffian who clearly paid small deference to -women's rights, at once set himself to rob the unfortunate princess of -her possessions. In September 1418 he marched out on Dordrecht, where he -established his headquarters; Gorcum and other strongholds speedily -succumbed to his arms, and after an interval, during which he married -Elizabeth of Görlitz, Duchess of Luxemburg and widow of Anthony of -Burgundy, Duke of Brabant and Limburg, he finally removed to Holland and -installed himself at The Hague, free now to pursue his nefarious -projects. For thirteen years the country resounded with the clash of -arms and laboured in the rough and tumble of civil warfare: hence an -atmosphere the least congenial to the cultivation and patronage of high -art. The cities of Flanders and Brabant were the gainers by the exodus -of craftsmen that presently set in. Of their number, sooner or later, -was Hubert, who, prior to 1425 at any rate, had already settled at Ghent -and acquired the freedom of that city. News of the unfinished polyptych -remaining on his hands soon came to the ears of Jodoc Vyt, a wealthy -burgher, who eagerly embraced the opportunity of striking the bargain by -which he acquired all rights in the picture and so linked his name and -personality for all time with this ineffable monument of the painter's -art. - -In the centre-piece, "The Adoration of the Lamb" (frontispiece), we -discover the keynote to the scheme of the work, in the Apocalyptic -Vision of St. John the source of its inspiration. The Lamb without spot, -the blood from its breast pouring into a chalice, is stood on an altar, -the white cloth over which bears on its superfrontal the text from the -Vulgate, "Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the -world," and on its stole-ends the legend, "Jesus, the Way, the Truth, -and the Life." Worshipping angels gather around, some bearing -instruments of the Passion, others swinging censers, their smoke -laden with the prayers of the saints. In the foreground the Fountain -of Life, flowing down through the ages along the gentle slope of -flower-bejewelled sward, or dispensing its waters in vivifying jets from -the gurgoyles beneath the feet and from the vases in the hands of the -winged angel above its standard. To the four quarters groups of the -elect: on the near right those of the Old Law and among the Gentiles who -had lived in expectation of the Redeemer, the balancing group on the -left typical of the New Law--prophets, doctors, philosophers, and -princes in the former, the Apostles, popes, bishops, abbots, deacons, -monks, and clerics among the latter. The corresponding groups back of -the altar represent the army of martyrs whose blood is the seed of the -Church, and the multitude of virgins. Over all, from the Holy Dove -poised high over the altar, dart rays of light, emblematic of the Wisdom -which had inspired their lives and of the fire of Love that had -heartened their sacrifice. A carpet of flowers fills in all the open -space fore of the altar, flowering shrubs and trees that of the -mid-distance, while the entire background is an exquisite example of the -realistic landscape-work that is an abiding charm of the Netherlandish -school. The wonderful harmony of colour appeals at once to the senses; -but more arresting, on nearer acquaintance, for its quality and -felicity, is the wide range of portraiture that distinguishes the piece. -From the two lateral panels in the dexter shutter the Knights of Christ -and the Just Judges are pressing forward to the scene of the Vision, -from the corresponding ones in the sinister shutter the Holy Hermits and -the Holy Pilgrims: the former on spirited horses--an animal for which -the painter evinces a special affection--the latter on foot. These -panels are even more remarkable perhaps than the centre-piece for the -diversity and multiplicity of the types portrayed, and for the wealth of -landscape relieved by bird life lavished in their embellishment. - -The "Adoration of the Lamb" is dominated in the upper zone by a triple -panel, the centre framing the Almighty enthroned in majesty, whose is -the kingdom, the power, and the glory--a supreme conception of the -Eternal Father, unequalled for majestic stillness of face, intellectual -power of brow, and depth and placidity of vision; on His right is the -Mother of Christ, testifying to the full the lowliness of the handmaiden -of the Lord, on His left St. John the Baptist, an earnest type, long of -hair and rugged of beard, barefooted, and in a raiment of brown camel's -hair girdled about the loins, intensifying the austerity of life -ordained for him who was to prepare the way of the Lord and make -straight His paths. In the "Choir of Angels" (Plate II.), which is the -subject of the first lateral panel in the dexter shutter, we have one -of the choicest gems of the polyptych, and it affords us a measure of -the distance the realistic tendencies of the painter had carried him -from the traditions of the mystic school. Justified by the warrant of -Scripture, he translates these spirit beings into purely human frames, -but with a nerve system attuned to material sensations. In these angels -there is no suggestion of trance-like ecstasy in contemplation of the -Beatific Vision; they are angels materialised whose features reflect the -strain of sustained effort and the underlying sense of pain which in man -is inseparable from the sensing of intense joy. Evidently the master had -fathomed the secrets of the human heart: the sense possibilities of the -spirit world were without his ken, so he humanised his angels and -evolved types understandable of the people, and at the same time one of -the finest angel groups of all art. So inexpressibly realistic are his -conceptions that to the poet-biographer Van Mander, at any rate, it was -actually possible to discern "the different key in which the voice of -each is pitched." But poets are privileged beings. Accompanying the -Choir in their song of praise with organ, harp, and viol are the -balancing group of angels in the corresponding compartment of the -sinister shutter, types that, strangely enough, are in striking contrast -to the former, their features moulded in placid contentment. The extreme -panels of this zone are occupied by life-size presentations of our First -Parents after the Fall, nude figures painted from the life, with -absolute fidelity to nature and masterly conception of type: in a -demi-lunette over the figure of Adam we see Cain and Abel making their -offerings unto the Lord, and in that over Eve the slaying of Abel at the -hands of his brother. There is a tradition extant that the altar-piece -was originally furnished with a predella painted in distemper, a picture -probably of Limbo or of Purgatory, but no trace of this remains. - -[Illustration: PLATE IV.--PORTRAIT OF THE PAINTER'S FATHER-IN-LAW - -(By John van Eyck) - -The subject of this painting has only within recent months been -identified as the father of Margaret van Eyck, with whose portrait, -reproduced in Plate VII., it should be compared. The framework bears -along the upper border the Painter's simple motto "Als ich can," and at -the foot "Iohannes de Eyck me fecit anno 1433, 21 Octobris." No. 222 in -the National Gallery, London. See page 76.] - -The closed shutters display, filling in the full width of the middle -zone, the scene of the Annunciation. The Ethyrean Sibyl and the Cumaean -Sibyl occupy the demi-lunettes above the middle portion of the Virgin's -chamber, the lunettes above the lateral divisions showing half-length -figures of the Prophets Zacharias and Micheas. Of the four compartments -of the lower zone the inner ones contain statues in grisaille of St. -John the Baptist and St. John the Evangelist, the outer ones figures in -the attitude of prayer, eminently life-like, of the donor, Jodoc Vyt, -and his wife, Elizabeth Borluut. Jodoc was the second son of Sir -Nicholas Vyt, Receiver of Flanders,--a wealthy citizen who owned the -lordships of Pamele and Leedberghe, besides several mansions in Ghent, -of which city he was burgomaster in 1433-34, after filling various minor -municipal offices: by no means a handsome type, though manifestly a -capable and kindly burgher, well-set, with a somewhat low forehead, -small grey eyes, and a large mouth with broad under-lip; neither do the -short-cropped hair and growing baldness or the three warts on upper-lip, -nose, and forehead make for attractiveness. In respect of looks his wife -is the better favoured, striking the beholder as an indulgent lady, with -much of the homely dignity and serenity of the finer type of Flemish -matron. - -The Great Polyptych had not yet reached completion when, on the 18th of -September 1426 Hubert van Eyck passed away after a painful illness. How -much of the work remained to be accomplished none can tell with any hope -of approach to certainty. A whole volume would not suffice for a -critical examination of the mass of contending theories that for the -best part of a century has been squandered in the endeavour to allocate -to the two brothers their respective shares in the execution of the -picture. Remember that it had already been some ten years in the making, -and that, although it did not receive its final touches from the brush -of John van Eyck until 1432, nearly six years after his brother's death, -this period of John's life, as we shall presently discover, was too -fully occupied in the service of Duke Philip of Burgundy to have allowed -of his spending any considerable proportion of it in the task of -completion. Remembering also that John's art had been closely modelled -on that of his brother, that none better comprehended his ideals or was -more intimately acquainted with the working out of his conceptions, -mindful, moreover, of the deep veneration in which he held his -master's genius, we must suppose that he realised the obligation of -conscientiously adhering to the art and technique of the picture as he -found it, any obtruding originality in violation of which would have -amounted almost to sacrilege: all this further enhances the difficulty -of differentiating between the work of the two painters. Indeed, if so -minded, the reader is probably as well equipped as the writer to solve -the puzzle. - -[Illustration: PLATE V.--JOHN ARNOLFINI AND JOAN CENANI, HIS WIFE - -(By John van Eyck) - -An incomparable example of the Master's varied gifts, and a valuable -study of contemporary dress and domestic furniture. Joan Cenani is -presumed to have been a younger sister of Margaret van Eyck, with -whose portrait, reproduced in Plate VII., it should be compared. -The carved frame of the mirror on the far wall enshrines ten small -medallions, exquisite miniatures representing the Agony in the Garden, -the Betrayal and St. Peter's Assault on Malchus, Christ led before -Pilate, the Scourging at the Pillar, the Carrying of the Cross, Calvary, -the Deposition, the Entombment, the Descent into Limbo, and the -Resurrection. On the wall above the mirror we read the precise -statement, "Iohannes de eyck fuit hic 1434." No. 186 in the National -Gallery, London. See page 67.] - -Hubert van Eyck was laid to rest in the crypt of the chapel for which he -had painted his masterpiece, but in 1533, when chapel and crypt had to -make way for a new aisle, his remains were transferred to the -churchyard, all except the bone of the right fore-arm, which was -suspended in an iron casket in the porch of the Cathedral. The brass -plate bearing the well-known epitaph was at the same time placed in the -transept, only to become the spoil of the Calvinist Iconoclasts in 1578, -when already the casket had somehow or other long since disappeared. But -what of the painter's fame, to whose workshop laymen of the highest -distinction had felt it a privilege to be admitted, about whose easel -journeymen painters had flocked, and whom the leading contemporary -artists of the Netherlands had been proud to call master? During his -lifetime, and for a considerable period after his death, his was a -dominating influence in the Art of the North, and Van Mander has it on -record that whenever the polyptych was freely exposed to the public gaze -crowds flocked to it from morning till night "like flies and bees in -summer round a basket of figs and grapes." But in the stress and turmoil -of succeeding generations his memory gradually faded away; his work, -uncared for, lost hold on the imagination; even his great masterwork -narrowly escaped destruction. Even so it did not escape dismemberment, -or profanation at the hands of the "restorer." Saved from the fury of -the Iconoclasts in 1566, and subsequently rescued from the Calvinist -leaders who contemplated its offer to Queen Elizabeth in acknowledgment -of her subsidies, it eventually became the spoil of the French -Republicans; but after the battle of Waterloo restitution was effected, -and the main portion of the altar-piece, all that remains of it in -Ghent, was reinstated in its present position. The Adam and Eve panels, -which in 1781 had offended the unsuspected modesty of Joseph II., and in -consequence been deferentially removed, were ultimately ceded to the -Belgian Government, and now rest in the Royal Gallery at Brussels; while -the other six shutter panels, which had been safeguarded through the -French occupation, were shamelessly sold to a dealer in 1816 by the -Vicar-General and churchwardens--in the absence, it is right to say, of -the Bishop--for a paltry 3000 florins, subsequently changing hands for -100,000 francs, and eventually becoming the property of the Prussian -Government for four times that amount. - - - - -IV - -IN THE SERVICE OF BURGUNDY - - -During the five years that followed the death of William IV., Count of -Holland and Zeeland, the usurping John of Bavaria had so far succeeded -in asserting his power as to be able to permit his interest to wander to -the lighter occupations of life, the while the niece he had dispossessed -was supplementing the tale of her political woes with all the domestic -misery attendant upon a succession of unhappy marriages. Thus in 1422 we -find John van Eyck attached to the Count's household as painter and -"varlet de chambre," and, as we gather from the prince's household -accounts, engaged in the decoration of the palace at The Hague from the -24th of October in that year till the 11th of September 1424. Another -member of the household at the time was his kinsman, Henry van Eyck, the -record of whose faithful services won him in February 1425 the post of -master of the hunt to Jacqueline's second husband, John IV., Duke of -Brabant. John of Bavaria died on the 25th of January 1425, and, as might -have been expected, civil war immediately broke out. The situation -proving uncongenial, the whilom court painter lost no time in taking the -road to Flanders, where Philip III., Duke of Burgundy, was lording it -as the most munificent patron of the arts and sciences and of letters. -With a keen eye for available talent, this princely despot at once -enlisted him in his service. No doubt he had become acquainted with -the Van Eycks during his residence at Ghent in the days of his -heir-apparentship and before the younger artist's removal to The Hague; -probably the portrait of Michelle of France, the Duke's first wife (who -died in July 1422), copies of which exist, was painted by John: at any -rate we have Philip's own words for the fact that it was personal -knowledge of John's skill that determined his appointment on the 19th of -May 1425 as painter and "varlet de chambre," with "all the honours, -privileges, rights, profits, and emoluments" attaching to the office; -moreover, with characteristic prudence, he secured a first lien on his -services by awarding him a retaining fee--call it salary or call it -pension--equivalent to £5, 11s. 1-1/3d. in contemporary English -currency, or anything from ten to twelve times that sum at the present -day. - -Having made good his position, John's first move apparently was in the -interest of his kinsman, for whom he secured the position of falconer in -the ducal household. As we have no further concern with this member of -the Van Eyck family, it may be said that in 1436 he was employed by the -Duke on a secret mission of some importance, that on the occasion of his -marriage in 1444 to the daughter of the master-falconer Philip made him -a present of 100_l._, and that in 1461 he became baillie of the town and -territory of Termonde, continuing in that office, with the additional -distinctions of councillor and chamberlain to the Duke, besides a -knighthood, until his death in November 1466. - -The new court painter was something more than a master of his art: -a man evidently of sterling qualities of mind and heart, of wide -accomplishments and business capacity--in every way _persona grata_ -at the most brilliant court of the age. Not many months after his -appointment he removed to Lille by order and at the expense of the Duke, -by whom also was paid the rent of the house he occupied there from 1426 -to 1428, from midsummer to midsummer. Of his professional work at this -period nothing is known. The chroniclers in the Duke's service did not -concern themselves with such minor matters. As De Comines himself -boasted, they wrote "not for the amusement of brutes and people of low -degree, but for princes and other persons of quality," little bethinking -themselves what store the after ages would have set by their gossip had -it busied itself with the doings, for example, of court painters. In -other respects, however, we are better served, and in the early part of -1426 we find John van Eyck commissioned, after the pious custom of the -time, to undertake a pilgrimage in the interest of the ducal health, and -in August of the same year despatched on some distant foreign mission. -His return was saddened by tidings of the death of his brother Hubert, -who had passed away in his absence. Further tokens of the ducal favour -in 1427 took the form of presents of 20_l._ and 100_l._ respectively. - -Duke Philip's matrimonial ventures hitherto had not been crowned with -success. Neither his first wife, Michelle of France, nor Bonne of -Artois, whom he wedded and lost within the ten months (she died in -September 1425), had provided him with an heir. Anxious to secure the -succession in the direct line, towards the middle of 1427 he despatched -ambassadors to the court of Alphonsus V., King of Aragon, to obtain for -him the hand of Isabella, eldest daughter of James II., Count of Urgel, -and John van Eyck was attached to the mission. Arriving at Barcelona in -July, only to find that the earthquakes in Catalonia had driven the -Court to escape by sea to Valencia, the embassy followed in the royal -track and reached this city early in August, in time for the floral -games and bull-fight with which the Jurats honoured the King. The -mission led to nothing, not even to a portrait of the princess, who in -September 1428 was married to Peter, Duke of Coimbra, third son of John -I., King of Portugal; but it is interesting to find Alphonsus V. in -later years acquiring paintings by Van Eyck for his collection. The -return journey included a short halt at Tournay, where the magistrates -very appropriately paid Van Eyck the compliment of a wine of honour on -the 18th of October, St. Luke's Day, the local guild, moreover--Robert -Campin, Roger de la Pasture, and James Daret doubtless distinguished -among its members--being favoured with his company in the celebration of -the feast of its patron saint. A like wine of honour was presented to -the ambassadors on the 20th. - -An illuminating dispute between the Duke, the Receiver of Flanders, and -John van Eyck helped to relieve the tedium of life in the intervals of -employment on foreign missions at this stage of the painter's career. -Philip's munificence was largely tempered by prudent frugality in the -ordering of his household, and in the process of curtailing his domestic -expenses in 1426 he published an edict bearing date December 14 -regulating its constitution and the wages of its members. By some -inadvertence John's name was omitted from the new roll, and the Receiver -of Flanders summarily stopped payment of his salary. An ineffectual -protest was lodged, complaints followed reinforced by threats, to -such good purpose that eventually, though not until after many months' -persistent badgering, the aggrieved party emerged with flying colours -from the triangular duel, securing letters patent under date March 3, -1428, confirming his appointment and commanding the payment of all -arrears. - -[Illustration: PLATE VI.--THE VIRGIN AND CHILD, ST. DONATIAN AND ST. -GEORGE, AND CANON G. VAN DER PAELE - -(By John van Eyck) - -The largest but one of the Painter's works, unfortunately damaged by -cleaning and clumsy retouching, while the general effect is marred by a -thick coating of cloudy varnish. The white shame-cloth about the Child's -loins is a later addition. At the foot on the original frame we read: -"Hoc opus fecit fieri magister Georgius de Pala huius ecclesie canonicus -per Iohannem de Eyck pictorem: ... completum anno 1436°." In the Town -Gallery, Bruges. See page 74.] - -Of the many paintings executed by John van Eyck to which no precise date -can be attached not one can with certainty be ascribed to this period, -and yet it is difficult to believe that his duties in the three years he -had already spent in the ducal service were exclusively of a -non-professional character: surely the lost portrait of Bonne of Artois -as Duchess of Burgundy, a copy of which is preserved in the store-room -of the Royal Gallery at Berlin, was his work. The years immediately -following, however, yielded a rich harvest of brilliant pictures, first -among which, chronologically, two portraits of the Infanta Isabella of -Portugal. Philip, on matrimonial projects still intent, was now turning -his attention from the Courts of Spain to the neighbouring one of -Portugal, and in the autumn of 1428 he decided on an embassy to John I. -The mission was a princely one: at its head Sir John de Lannoy, -councillor and first chamberlain; associated with whom were Sir Baldwin -de Lannoy, governor of Lille--at some later date, too, a subject for our -painter's brush--high dignitaries of the court and some of the leading -gentry, a secretary, cupbearer, steward, clerk of accounts, and two -pursuivants, and last, but not least, John van Eyck, whose relative -standing may be gathered from the fact that in the distribution of -gratuities at the ceremony of leave-taking only that of the chief -ambassador exceeded his, the respective sums being 200_l._ and 160_l._ -The mission, distributed between two Venetian galleys, sailed out of -Sluus harbour on the 19th of October and arrived the next day at -Sandwich, where three or four weeks were spent awaiting a further escort -of two galleys from London. Forced by contrary winds to seek shelter, -first at Shoreham and then at Plymouth and Falmouth, it was not till the -2nd of December that the convoy sailed out into the ocean. Nine days -later they were at Bayona, a small seaport of Galicia, where they -delayed three days, their long sea journey at length terminating on the -16th at Cascaës, whence they travelled overland to Lisbon. In the -absence of the Court a letter explaining the object of the mission was -entrusted to the herald Flanders, who pursued the King from Estremóz to -Arrayollos and Aviz, in the province of Alemtéjo, where the embassy at -last had audience of his Majesty on the 13th of January and presented to -him the Duke's letters soliciting the hand of his daughter Isabella. The -while the ambassadors were discussing their master's proposals with the -King's Council John van Eyck was at his easel painting the Infanta's -portrait, two copies of which were executed and despatched to the Court -of Burgundy, one by sea and the other by land, the better to ensure safe -delivery, with duplicate accounts of the mission's doings to date. The -Duke's reply did not arrive until the 4th of June. A pilgrimage to Saint -James of Compostella, and visits to John II., King of Castile, to the -Duke of Arjona, a prince of the same royal blood, and to Mohammed, King -of the City of Grenada, agreeably filled in the interval of waiting, Van -Eyck naturally missing no opportunity of acquaintance with the leading -painters of the day, enlarging the scope of his own observation, and no -doubt leaving behind him the impress of his mastery. That the name of -Van Eyck was already one to conjure with in these distant realms appears -from the traditional ascription to him of a mass of painting certainly -in his manner, but vastly too great to have ever been conceived by him -within the limits of his stay in Portugal. Take that finest of all -pictures there, the "Fons Vitae" in the board-room of the Misericordia -at Oporto, and the series of twelve paintings in the Episcopal Palace at -Evoca, locally claimed for Van Eyck; likewise the pictures in the church -of S. Francisco at Evoca, in the round church of the Templars at Thomar, -and elsewhere, which are at any rate thought there to be not unworthy of -his technique, and scarcely inferior to his best masterpieces for -brilliancy of colouring and beauty of portraiture. The one regrettable -circumstance in relation to this visit to Portugal is that both -portraits of the Infanta are to be numbered among the lost certain -treasures of his art. - -On their return to Lisbon in the closing days of May the embassy -rejoined the Court at Cintra on the ensuing 4th by special request of -the king, and the Duke of Burgundy's reply came to hand the same -evening: the princess's portrait had been to the Duke's liking. All -the preliminaries being now in order events sped on apace, to the -signing of the marriage contract at Lisbon on the 29th of July and -the solemnisation of the espousals a day later; and after a period of -brilliant festivities the bridal party, to the number of some two -thousand, set sail for the land of Flanders. A fortnight later four -weather-beaten ships, the Infanta's of the number, lumbered into Vivero -harbour in Galicia, followed later by a fifth: the remainder of the -original fleet of fourteen, after battling with contrary winds, had been -effectually dispersed in the subsequent storm. Again a start was made -on the 6th of November, but the state of prostration to which Sir John -de Lannoy had been reduced by sea-sickness compelled a further delay of -over a fortnight at Ribadeu. Here the convoy was reinforced by two -Florentine galleys, also bound for Flanders, and on the 25th they -eventually made good their leave of Portuguese waters. The afflicted -ambassador, with members of his suite, had meanwhile transferred to the -Florentine galleys, a step that nearly cost them their lives, as these -vessels narrowly escaped shipwreck in the vicinity of the Land's End. -The other five ships put into Plymouth harbour on the 29th, but the -Florentines pushed on to Sluus, where they cast anchor on the 6th of -December, Sir John de Lannoy making all speed to the Duke with the glad -tidings of the Infanta's safe arrival in English waters. The -preparations for her reception were quickly followed by the coming of -the bride, who safely accomplished her long journey's end on Christmas -Day. In the midst of a carnival of popular rejoicing the union was -solemnised at Bruges on the 7th of January 1430. - -John van Eyck's absence had extended to slightly over fourteen months, -during which, seemingly, the two portraits of the Infanta were the sole -yield of his art, except we couple with them the picture known as "La -belle Portugaloise" and another portrait of a Portuguese maiden of which -only verbal descriptions have come down to us. In the light of all the -compelling evidence of John's consummate love of Nature, amply displayed -in the mass of landscape work that enriches many of his finest -productions, one cannot help but be struck by the fact that he never -appears to have realised the possibilities of seascape as an avenue of -Art. Only in one small panel do we remember any deviation from the type -of slow-running river water that he usually affected, and there we are -shown small craft exposed to the mean spiteful choppiness of a -wind-exposed estuary, an unconvincing picture from the utter monotony of -treatment of beaten water. Is it possible that the sea in all of its -countless moods failed in its appeal to the aesthetic sense of the -master, with its infinite variety of elemental energy and its chaste -exuberance of exquisite colouring, with all the untold modulations, -moreover, in that great symphony of the ocean which stirs so deeply the -soul of the true poet? Or was it that the message baffled the -apprehension of the artist, and left him helpless to respond to the -call? Whatever the answer--or be it that, like his leader De Lannoy, he -found the sea so severe a taskmaster in the more matter-of-fact sense as -to blunt the edge of his finer feelings--whatever the answer, prolific -as Art had already proved through the centuries by the manifold and -luscious fruits it had borne, evidently it had not yet attained to the -fulness of time in which it was to bring forth its apocalypse of the -sea; nor was John van Eyck its consecrate expositor. - - - - -V - -PERIOD OF GREAT ENDEAVOUR - - -We have now reached the most important period in our painter's career, -coinciding from end to end with his residence in the Flemish -capital, where he died on the 9th of July 1441--a period of over ten -years, in which he produced the ten dated masterpieces we are about to -review, besides a large unfinished triptych and a number of other -paintings to which no exact date can be affixed. Hardly had he taken up -his quarters in Bruges than the Duke summoned him to Hesdin to receive -instructions with regard to the work on which he was to be employed. -Meanwhile, no doubt, Jodoc Vyt had secured his services for the -completion of the Ghent Polyptych: probably it had been an understood -thing all along that John was to finish the work at the first -opportunity. From the account of his movements during the five years -that had elapsed since his brother's death it is obvious that he could -have spared but very brief intervals of leisure for what must, after -all, have been to him a labour of love; the conclusion being that -whatever proportion of the sixteen months immediately following his -return from Portugal he was able to devote to the picture must stand for -his share in the monumental altar-piece that at Hubert's death had -already been ten years in the making. - -[Illustration: PLATE VII.--PORTRAIT OF MARGARET VAN EYCK THE PAINTER'S -WIFE - -(By John van Eyck) - -The daughter of the subject of Plate IV. and probably the sister of Joan -Cenani in Plate V., with both of which it should be compared. In the -Town Gallery, Bruges. See page 66.] - -In the early days of December 1431 Cardinal Albergati, special -ambassador from Pope Martin V. to the Courts of France, Burgundy, and -England with a view to bringing about a general peace, spent three days -at the Charterhouse in Bruges as the honoured guest of the Duke, from -whom Van Eyck received urgent instructions to paint the portrait that is -now the property of the Imperial Gallery at Vienna. The time being all -too short for the purpose, John had to be content with the exquisite -drawing in silver-point on a white ground which is still preserved in -the Royal Cabinet of Prints at Dresden, and which is particularly -interesting because of the marginal memoranda in pencil embodying the -most minute observations in the artist's own handwriting for his -guidance in the execution of the painting. A remarkable portrait of a -most remarkable man: for this prince of the Church, a humble son of the -austere Order of the Carthusians, though raised to the Cardinalate and -time after time called upon to serve the Holy See on important -embassies requiring consummate prudence in regard to matters of temporal -policy, discarding his family arms for a simple cross, persevered to the -end in such austerities of the cloister as the wearing of a hair shirt, -total abstinence from flesh-meat, and the use of bare straw for his rude -pallet: a type that must have appealed to Van Eyck, for the picture is a -valuable index of the painter's genius for portraiture. In or about -August of the following year the Burgomasters and Town Council honoured -John with a visit to his workshop, to inspect the various pictures he -was then engaged on. Among these, probably, was the portrait of -"Tymotheos," bearing date October 10, 1432, acquired by the National -Gallery in 1857 for the modest sum of £189, 11s. (Plate III.), and the -"Our Lady and Child" in the collection at Ince Hall, Ince Blundell, -Liverpool, although it was not completed till 1433. The latter is a -delightful instance of the singular love of domesticity which Van Eyck -exemplifies with supreme confidence and success in the Arnolfini -tableau, of which more anon. In the former we have a man verging on -middle age, with dark complexion, blue eyes, angular features, heavy -jaw, thick lips, prominent cheekbones and uplifted nose; presumably a -Greek humanist and a friend of the painter, from the man's Christian -name on the parapet being in Greek character and the manuscript roll he -holds in his hand, and from the inscription "Léal Souvenir": by no means -a handsome type, but true to nature, and presented with all the charm -that Van Eyck was able to endow his least promising subjects with, the -modelling being excellent, and the harmonious colouring aptly relieved -by a dark background. - -Somewhere about this time John's thoughts, somewhat later in life than -was the custom of the age, must have been turning on matrimony on his -own account, for we find him purchasing a house in the parish of Saint -Giles, a quarter much affected by painters, and shortly afterwards -engaged on a portrait of the man appointed to be his father-in-law; and -we can picture the Duke, with whom he was ever a special favourite, -being made the confidant of his intentions on the occasion of his visit -to Van Eyck's workshop on the 19th of February 1433, and pleasantly -encouraging him with a promise to stand sponsor for his first-born. At -any rate the wedding took place, and in due course Sir Peter de -Beaufremont, Lord of Chargny, held the infant at the baptismal font as -proxy for Philip, whose present took the form of six silver cups -weighing 12 marks, the order for payment of the account, amounting to -96_l._ 12_s._, to a local goldsmith, John Peutin, bearing date June 30, -1434; and this is the nearest approach we can get at to the date of -either event. Indeed, we have no information as to the sex of the child, -nor are we even acquainted with the maiden name of Van Eyck's wife, -though it has been suggested, with some show of reason, that she was a -sister of Joan Cenani, the wife of John Arnolfini, already referred to; -and it is only within quite recent days that the painting in the -National Gallery commonly spoken of as "the man with the turban" has -been identified, on purely scientific lines, as the portrait of her -father. If the reader will compare this likeness (Plate IV.) with that -of Margaret van Eyck (Plate VII.) he must immediately be struck by the -close resemblance that irresistibly suggests the relationship: the -marvel is that the absolute identity of features in the two portraits -escaped notice so long. The fanciful style of head-dress, except it was -intended to symbolise occupation or profession, remains a puzzle; for it -is difficult to conceive a man of his earnest and dignified disposition -masquerading in strange attire for the mere sake of effect. The best -authorities speak of him as a well-to-do merchant--specialising perhaps -in Eastern wares, such as crowded the marts of the Flemish capital in -the heyday of its prosperity--apparently about sixty-five years of age, -the face being delicately painted in reddish-brown tones, and showing -every detail with uttermost faithfulness, even to the pleats of the -eyelids and at the root of the nose, and to every vein and wrinkle of -the forehead. It is one of the finest exemplifications of John's rare -gift of portraiture, the pleasing modesty of the artist--as revealed in -the inscription "Als ich kan" (to the best of my ability)--adding, -indeed, to the charm of the picture, which bears date October 21, 1433, -and passed into the keeping of the National Gallery in 1851 for the sum -of £315. - -It is difficult to refrain from what would appear an over-use of the -superlative in dealing with John van Eyck's works, but if the writer -might be allowed an indulgence he would unhesitatingly avail himself of -it to the full in connection with the exquisite panel (Plate V.) for the -possession of which we are indebted to the honourable wounds which were -the seal of Major-General Hay's part in the battle of Waterloo. After -wandering about Europe as the cherished possession first of Don Diego de -Guevara, councillor of Maximilian and Archduke Charles and Major-domo of -Joan, Queen of Castile; next of Margaret of Austria, Governess of the -Netherlands; subsequently of Mary of Hungary, and eventually of Charles -III. of Spain, it fell into the acquisitive hands of the French invader -of the Peninsula, and by some strange freak of fortune strayed to the -apartments at Brussels in which the gallant major-general was nursed to -recovery, from whose landlord he purchased it, the National Gallery in -the end becoming its owner, in 1842, for the trifling sum of £730. It is -the picture of a newly married couple in a homely Flemish interior, and -in their attempts to solve an imaginary riddle critics have given their -somewhat prolific powers of imagination an unusually free rein. For -instance, the peculiar manner in which the bride sustains the gathered -folds of her skirt--shown by comparison with figures of virgin saints in -other of Van Eyck's paintings to have been a passing fashion of the day, -if an ungraceful one--suggested to some the near approach of her -lying-in, the bedstead in the background as well as the figure of St. -Margaret (a favourite of women in expectation of childbirth) surmounting -the back of the arm-chair naturally tending to confirm the impression; -in corroboration of which the attitude of husband and wife--though the -direction of look in neither lends support to the theory--is explained -as a venture in chiromancy, the adept bridegroom endeavouring to read in -the lines of his wife's hand the future of the coming infant: a -variant elucidation representing the husband as solemnly protesting his -paternity to an inexistent crowd of neighbours at the open door, seeing -that the ingenious reflection of the scene in the circular convex mirror -on the far wall reveals but two additional figures, probably the painter -and his apprentice. Without recourse to fancy, the attitude of -bridegroom and bride, hand in hand, might readily have been seen to -symbolise the perfect union begot of a happy marriage. John's love of -domesticity is abundantly displayed in all the detail of the work--the -chandelier, with lighted taper, dependent from the ceiling, the aumbry -with its couple of oranges, the cushioned bench by the window, the -dainty pair of red shoes on the carpet by the bedside, the pattens of -white wood with black leather latchets in the foreground, even to the -dusting-brush hung on the arm-chair, and the pet griffin terrier, all -helping to heighten the intimacy of the scene; while the cherry-tree in -full bloom, seen through the open window against a sky of clear blue, -serves to fix the season of the year in which the picture was painted. -The portraits are of John Arnolfini and Joan Cenani: the former, in -later years, was knighted and appointed a chamberlain at his court by -Duke Philip, and from the circumstance of his burial in the chapel of -the Lucchese merchants at the Austin Friars' we may presume both his -nationality and calling; the latter, considered in respect of certain -features, especially the eyes, eyebrows, and nose, suggests a sufficient -likeness to warrant the surmise that she was a younger sister of Van -Eyck's wife. The panel, which is in an almost perfect state of -preservation, is a fine example of the painter's vigour of delineation -and perfect blending of colour, both as regards the interior and the -figures, the transparency of shadow in the flesh-tints showing the -utmost delicacy of touch. The picture bears date 1434. - -[Illustration: PLATE VIII.--THE VIRGIN AND CHILD, AND CHANCELLOR ROLIN - -(By -- van Eyck) - -Whether the work of Hubert or of John is still in dispute: hence an -interesting example for the critical student of their respective arts. -Nicholas Rolin was born in 1376, was created Chancellor of Burgundy and -Brabant on December 3, 1422, and died January 18, 1462. The landscape in -the background is distinctly reminiscent of the scenery about -Maastricht, the alma mater of the Van Eycks. The general effect of the -picture is marred by an unpleasant coating of yellow varnish. Date -uncertain. In the Louvre, Paris. See page 78.] - -About this time Van Eyck was once more in trouble with the Receiver of -Flanders and his officials. Philip, adding one more to the many marks of -favour reserved for his predilect painter, had bestowed on him a -life-pension of 4320_l._ in lieu of the salary of 100_l._ parisis -awarded him at the time of his engagement. In the absence of any -explanation of this enormous increase, the mystified accountants at -Lille declined registration of the letters patent; but they were -speedily brought to their senses by John's threat, without further waste -of words, to throw up his appointment there and then: so they referred -the matter back to the Duke, who by letters of March 12, 1435, commanded -immediate registration of the patent and payment of the pension under -penalty of his extreme displeasure, protesting that, being about to -employ Van Eyck on works of the highest importance, he "could not find -another painter equally to his taste or of such excellence in his art -and science." Matters being thus satisfactorily composed, John was free -to attend to his patron's behests; in addition to which he had the -gilding and polychroming in 1435 of six of the eight statues of counts -and countesses of Flanders executed by local sculptors for the front of -the new Townhouse, probably from his own designs. Yet another present of -six silver cups, perhaps as a salve for his wounded feelings, and -employment on a further secret mission to distant parts in 1436 testify -to the Duke's abiding trust and approbation. These undertakings, -however, did not exhaust the painter's marvellous capacity for work, for -this year also witnessed the completion of one of the largest of his -pictures, the altar-piece to the order of Canon Van der Paele, for the -collegiate church of Saint Donatian at Bruges (Plate VI.), which since -its recovery from the French in 1815 has graced the collection of the -local Town Gallery. John's love of the Romanesque probably accounts for -his neglect of the architecture of that church in designing the apse of -the transept in which the Virgin and Child sit enthroned, but the scenic -effect produced by his treatment of the series of round arches on -cylindrical columns and of the pillared ambulatory goes far to -compensate for the omission; the beauty of the picture being further -enhanced by the ornate carving of the capitals and throne, the gorgeous -display of cloth-of-gold and tapestry, and the rich variety of dress and -costume, culminating in all the splendour of the archiepiscopal -vestments, yet not so overpowering as to dwarf interest in the noble -countenance of the wearer. Howbeit, the artist was singularly -unfortunate in the subjects appointed to pose for the Virgin and St. -George, while the Divine Child is probably the least pleasing of his -Infant Christs. St. Donatian, however, and the homely yet dignified -ecclesiastic typified as the Donor, largely redeem the figure-work from -the charge of insignificance. It would appear that the life-size bust of -Canon Van der Paele at Hampton Court Palace was a study for the -full-length portrait, for at the time the altar-piece was being executed -the worthy Canon was already so feeble that since September 1434 he had -been dispensed by the Chapter from attendance in choir on the score of -infirmity and advanced age. - -The "Portrait of John De Leeuw, goldsmith," in the Imperial Gallery at -Vienna (1436), and two charming pictures in the Antwerp Museum--"Saint -Barbara" (1437) and the "Our Lady and Child by a Fountain" (1439)--come -next in order of the artist's dated pieces, the series closing with the -"Portrait of Margaret van Eyck" (Plate VII.) in the Town Gallery at -Bruges, which bears date June 17, 1439: a work of marvellous delicacy -and finish, and a tribute of love worthy alike of the painter-husband -and his devoted wife; the latter an intelligent type of the competent -Flemish housewife, clear and steady of eye and firm of mouth, portrayed -with infinite minuteness and not the least concession to vanity. -Formerly the property of the Guild of Painters and Saddlers, it used -annually to be exhibited in their chapel on St. Luke's Day, amply -secured, if we believe the popular legend, with chain and padlock, -because of the companion picture, Van Eyck's own portrait, having been -stolen through lack of similar precautions. - -The sad loss to Art sustained by John van Eyck's death on the 9th of -July 1441 is accentuated by the unfinished state in which he left the -great triptych on which he was engaged for Nicholas van Maelbeke, -Provost of Saint Martin's at Ypres, his largest painting and, had he but -lived to complete it, in every respect his masterpiece. As a member of -the Duke's household John was buried within the precincts of the -collegiate church of St. Donatian, and his remains finally laid to rest -some months later within the building, near the font; and an anniversary -Requiem Mass, founded at the time, continued to be celebrated until the -French invasion in 1792. In death as in life Duke Philip never forgot -his faithful friend and servant: within a few days of his decease he -sought to solace the widow's grief with a gratuity of 360_l._ in token -of his appreciation of the great master whose death they all mourned, -and years after he graciously assisted Livina, the one surviving child -of the marriage, and a sister of his own godchild, to enter the Convent -of St. Agnes at Maaseyck. - - - - -A NOTE IN CONCLUSION - - -However representative the great masterpieces which it has been possible -to notice within the scope of this monograph, we are far yet from -having covered the art of the Van Eycks; and, strangely enough, the same -difficulty that is met in apportioning to each his share in the Great -Polyptych recurs when seeking to ascribe a number of other paintings -which are certainly the work of one or other of the brothers. The study -of these will always appeal to the intelligent student of their art, and -as a typical example of the group we present the altar-piece known as -"The Blessed Virgin and Child and Chancellor Rolin" (Plate VIII.), in -the Louvre, Paris: a remarkable work in respect of types, of -portraiture, and of landscape, every detail of which has been elaborated -to a degree scarcely conceivable. Many other of their paintings are to -be found scattered over Europe, along with much that is the work of -copyist, pupil, or imitator, too often with idle claims to authenticity; -for the influence of the Van Eycks was coextensive with the art world of -their day. Truthfulness, it has been observed, was the dominant note of -their art, and by their sedulous cultivation of Truth they dominated the -art of their age. With John this love of truth amounted well-nigh to a -passion; and the reproach of the carping critic to whom beauty of -feature alone makes for beauty of portraiture fails of its effect on the -true artist mind, to whom the faithful record of all trifling blemishes -of the face is but an added testimony and guarantee of the fidelity of -the portrait as a portrait of the inner as well as of the outer man. -Even a great painter may enhance his present popularity and widen his -clientèle by a flattering suppression of personal disfigurement, but -only to the injury of his fame and the hurt of his own self-respect. -John van Eyck scorned to grovel at the feet of Vanity, and with this -acknowledgment of the sense and honesty of his sitters he combined the -fulfilment of a duty to posterity, for with the true instinct of genius -he knew that he was painting not for his own brief day, but for all -time, and that, as the founder of a great school of portraiture and the -father of landscape art, it behoved him to set an example of the -cardinal principle which should direct them. Under any conditions John -van Eyck's genius must have asserted itself, but happily it was -fortunate in its setting, for the brilliancy of the great Burgundian -court and the sumptuous patronage of Duke Philip in the full blaze of -his power and glory were invaluable aids to the production and -dissemination of his art. Nor did success spoil his sterling nature: -amidst all the triumphs of his life his character remained singularly -free from the tarnish of empty pride, to the last the exquisite yield of -his art being given to the world in a charming spirit of apology so -aptly embodied in the simple motto of his choosing, "Als ich kan." And -who among all the great painters of the after ages has done better? - - - The plates are printed by BEMROSE & SONS, LTD., Derby and London - The text at the BALLANTYNE PRESS, Edinburgh - - - - - * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber's note: - -PLATE IV. reference to page 76 changed to 66, as that is the page which -actually references this Plate. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK VAN EYCK*** - - -******* This file should be named 41798-8.txt or 41798-8.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/1/7/9/41798 - - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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