614:
119:
95:, a feature unusually evident in northern Europeans of the era. The painter has taken a number of liberties with representation to accentuate the features of his wife. Her head is out of proportion to her body, and her forehead unusually and fashionably high, a device which allows the artist to concentrate on the facial features of his wife. In addition, the geometric pattern formed by her head-dress, arms and the V of her neck-line allows her face to dominate the image.
22:
148:. The fabrics and colours worn by people of the 15th century were informally regulated by their social position; for example, black, an expensive dye, could only be worn by the upper reaches of society. Although the widow of a renowned painter and diplomat, Margaret was only given a modest pension by the city of Bruges after Jan's death.
86:
Margaret is shown in three-quarter view, that is her body almost directly facing the viewer but not quite. She is set against a flat black and featureless background, wearing an elegant red woolen gown with grey fur lining (in the medieval period fur often represented female sexuality), probably from
133:
The reasons for the painting's commissioning are unknown but appears that it was created for private rather than public viewing given the sitter's unidealised representation and her direct but plaintive gaze towards the viewer, which creates an intimate, informal atmosphere. It was probably intended
156:
Although the Early
Netherlandish painters are highly regarded today, they were almost forgotten by the early 1800s. This work was not rediscovered until the late 18th century when it was found for sale in a Belgian fish market, although accounts differ. As with most of the rediscovered works of its
137:
The Jan and
Margaret likely married around 1432–33, soon after his move to Bruges - she is not mentioned before he relocated, and their first child is recorded as born in 1434. Very little is known of Margaret, even her maiden name is lost. The surviving contemporary records refer to her as
55:. It is one of the latest of his surviving paintings, and one of the earliest European artworks to depict a painter's spouse. Completed when Margaret van Eyck was around 34, it was hung until the early 18th century in the Bruges Chapel of the Guild of Painters.
157:
era, it underwent a number of attributions before a broad consensus on its origin was formed. The portrait is still in its original frame and is in very good condition with the colours and paint well preserved. It was cleaned and restored by the
164:
Many early collectors and later art historians speculated that it might have once formed half of a diptych. It was paired as a pendant for a time with a self-portrait by van Eyck when two of his works were acquired by the chapel of the
142:. She is thought to have been of aristocratic birth, though from the lower nobility, evidenced from her clothes in this portrait which are fashionable but not of the sumptuousness worn by the bride in van Eyck's
234:
189:
warned against assumptions based on facial resemblance, believing that artists of the time may have projected the likeness of the women in their lives onto female subjects in their religious work.
110:
was something of a personal motto and motif for van Eyck, as well as a pun on his surname. It can be found inscribed on several of his religious paintings, though on only two portraits.
259:
990:
924:
645:
858:
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Van Eyck died within two years of this work. He inscribed plates on the top and ends of the frame in Greek lettering with the words,
543:
613:
821:
235:"The restoration of 'Margaret, the Artist's Wife' | The restoration of 'Margaret, the Artist's Wife' | National Gallery, London"
169:
before 1769. Some critics, when supporting the theory of a diptych, mention a now-lost male portrait known to be similar to his
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709:
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408:
Benton, Janetta Rebold. "Materials, Methods, and
Masterpieces of Medieval Art". Praeger, 2009.
179:, London. A third painting is suspected, but not known, to be a portrait of Margaret: the 1436
787:
696:
475:
897:
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8:
166:
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My husband
Johannes completed me in the year 1439 on 17 June, at the age of 33. As I can.
451:
Illuminating
Fashion: Dress in the Art of Medieval France and the Netherlands, 1325-1515
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to mark an occasion; maybe to commemorate the couple's anniversary, or her birthday.
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is decorated with multiple layers of crimped linen. Her left eye shows evidence of a
761:
736:
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in the
National Gallery, London. Margaret's portrait is in the collection of the
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52:
92:
21:
384:. London, National Gallery. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998.
63:
467:
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332:
The
National Gallery tentatively titles the male portrait as
991:Christ on the Cross with the Virgin and Saint John
1035:
366:Borchert, Till-Holger. "Margaret van Eyck", in
483:
382:The Fifteenth-Century Netherlandish Paintings
87:squirrel, in the neck and cuffs. Her horned
490:
476:
689:Virgin and Child with Canon van der Paele
589:Portrait of Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini
232:
117:
20:
310:
308:
306:
1036:
749:Crucifixion and Last Judgement Diptych
544:Portrait of Cardinal Niccolò Albergati
523:Portrait of a Man with a Blue Chaperon
287:
285:
283:
281:
471:
437:The Last Flowering of the Middle Ages
370:. London: Thames & Hudson, 2011.
58:Art historians believe it was once a
822:Study for Cardinal Niccolò Albergati
646:Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata
303:
278:
13:
552:Portrait of a Man (Self Portrait?)
334:Portrait of a Man (Self Portrait?)
252:
123:Portrait of a Man (Self Portrait?)
14:
1070:
1059:Collection of the Groeningemuseum
396:Jan van Eyck: The Play of Realism
951:Portrait of a Man with Carnation
859:Portrait of Isabella of Portugal
612:
497:
212:Virgin and Child at the Fountain
906:Madonna of Nicolas van Maelbeke
425:. London: Phaidon Press, 2004.
347:
338:
326:
266:, London. Retrieved 4 Nov 2011.
233:Gallery, The National; London.
568:Portrait of Baudouin de Lannoy
439:. Kessinger Publishing, 2005.
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602:Portrait of Margaret van Eyck
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34:Portrait of Margaret van Eyck
26:Portrait of Margaret van Eyck
16:1439 painting by Jan van Eyck
7:
925:The Three Marys at the Tomb
673:Madonna of Chancellor Rolin
455:Morgan Library & Museum
40:Margaret, the Artist's Wife
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898:Vera Icon (Head of Christ)
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1049:Portraits by Jan van Eyck
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1004:Saint Jerome in His Study
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185:. However, art historian
581:Portrait of Jan de Leeuw
423:The Northern Renaissance
398:. Reaktion Books, 1997.
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835:Study for a Crucifixion
710:Madonna at the Fountain
435:Van Der Elst, Joseph.
239:nationalgallery.org.uk
140:Damoiselle Marguierite
130:
29:
697:Madonna in the Church
419:Smith, Jeffrey Chipps
125:, 25.5 Ă— 19cm, 1433.
121:
24:
938:The Fountain of Life
260:Margaret's red dress
68:likely self-portrait
449:Van Buren, Anne H.
167:Guild of Saint Luke
49:Early Netherlandish
1054:Portraits of women
718:Madonna of Jan Vos
560:Arnolfini Portrait
161:, London in 1998.
145:Arnolfini Portrait
131:
66:) panel for Jan's
30:
28:, 41.2cm x 34.6 cm
1031:
1030:
983:Ince Hall Madonna
872:Saint Christopher
788:Turin–Milan Hours
744:, completed 1432)
463:978-1-9048-3290-4
394:Harbison, Craig.
380:Campbell, Lorne.
376:978-0-500-23883-7
368:Van Eyck to Durer
210:The other is the
172:Portrait of a Man
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977: 1430–1432
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742:Hubert van Eyck
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681:Lucca Madonna
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536:LĂ©al Souvenir
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508:List of works
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431:0-7148-3867-5
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414:0-275-99418-X
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390:0-300-07701-7
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344:Harbison, 208
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291:Borchert, 149
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182:Lucca Madonna
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986:(after 1434)
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909:(after 1440)
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661:(Washington)
659:Annunciation
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632:Annunciation
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499:Jan van Eyck
453:. New York:
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353:Harbison, 97
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275:Campbell, 32
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242:. Retrieved
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53:Jan van Eyck
43:) is a 1439
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33:
32:
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25:
18:
998: 1435
970:Crucifixion
945: 1432
892: 1434
879: 1460
842: 1440
829: 1432
796: 1420
791:("Hand G",
780:manuscripts
778:Illuminated
769: 1437
721:(1441–1443)
596: 1438
575: 1435
530: 1430
244:21 December
214:in Antwerp.
152:Attribution
106:ALS ICH KAN
102:"As I can"
82:Description
78:, Belgium.
45:oil on wood
1038:Categories
729:Polyptychs
193:References
114:Background
1024:(brother)
917:Contested
515:Portraits
962:Workshop
806:Drawings
634:(Madrid)
457:, 2011.
129:, London
1015:Related
361:Sources
64:diptych
60:pendant
51:master
1007:(1442)
954:(1435)
817:(1437)
740:(with
713:(1439)
692:(1436)
684:(1436)
676:(1435)
605:(1439)
584:(1436)
563:(1434)
555:(1433)
547:(1432)
539:(1432)
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443:
429:
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388:
374:
93:squint
89:wimple
76:Bruges
624:works
198:Notes
851:Lost
459:ISBN
441:ISBN
427:ISBN
410:ISBN
400:ISBN
386:ISBN
372:ISBN
246:2023
37:(or
262:".
74:in
1040::
995:c.
974:c.
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650:c.
637:c.
593:c.
572:c.
527:c.
421:.
305:^
280:^
237:.
798:)
491:e
484:t
477:v
258:"
248:.
108:)
104:(
62:(
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