<p>The Arnolfini marriage portrait, as it is generally if perhaps inaccurately known, painted by Flemish artist Jan van Eyck, signed and dated 1434, has long been one of the most popular and enigmatic paintings of its time. Of modest size, a little less than three feet high, it is one of the oldest surviving panel pictures to be painted in oils rather than tempera. It is also regarded as the first work of art which simultaneously celebrates both middle-class comfort and monogamous marriage. Not surprisingly, very little is known for certain about who the sitters are. The common assumption is that it is a portrait commemorating the wedding of Giovanni Arnolfini, an Italian merchant, and his probably pregnant wife, who are seen at their home in Bruges. Is it a picture of the marriage ceremony, with the painter as a witness barely discernible in the mirror on the wall in the centre - or a celebration of their union? Is the man a highly individualised portrait, and the woman just a stock imag</p>

GIRL IN A GREEN GOWN

Arts & Photography

Carola Hicks

Painting

Vintage

Cambridgeshire Churches

Paul Watkins Publishing

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Carola Hicks. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Carola Hicks

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Carola Hicks. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

GIRL IN A GREEN GOWN

Cambridgeshire Churches