Nicolao Arnolfini Portrait Analysis

Hand in Hand - There is much debate on the true motive behind this portrait, but Erwin Panofsky, an art historian, has offered that the portrait serves as a contract for marriage between the two persons to prove their binding in marriage. This is widely accepted alongside the rest of Panofsky’s interpretations, which is where I drew most of my information from, but not all art historians accept this is the sole or primary reason behind the portrait. It has also been suggested that Arnolfini is raising his right hand as a greeting sign to the viewers of the portrait instead of lending his oath to marriage.

Is she pregnant? - If the lady in the portrait was pregnant and this were a marriage contract, this scandalous act would drastically alter

He was born around the brink of the 15th century into a powerful family where he quickly became wealthy through familial influence and connection in the silk trading industry. He lived in Bruges in Flanders for a lengthy period of time where he married the woman in the picture and where Van Eyck painted this portrait. The Arnolfini Portrait is not the only time Van Eyck paints Giovanni’s portrait, but it is one of the few portraits that we still have to day with more than one person in it.

The Woman - The identity of the woman is undocumented, and considered a mystery by many art historians who have studied this painting. She wears green as a symbol of hope, “possibly hope for becoming a mother”. There is not much further research on the lady in the green dress.

Why do their faces look so strange? - Although the painting remains in relatively good condition to this day, “small losses of original paint and damages” have been sustained, especially to the faces of the subjects. According to Infrared reflectography, which take a closer look at the layers of paint on a microscopic level, a multitude of alterations have been made specifically to both faces and the mirror, which may also be the source of their ghost-like