Panofskys views on Van Eyck

A detailed Summary of Panofskys views on Van Eyck

Panofsky's purpose in writing this article was to identify a painting discovered in Brussels in 1815 (referred to as the "London portrait") as the portrait of Geovanni Arnolfimi and his wife Jeanne de Cename, painted in 1434. Panofsky uses historical documentation and iconography to prove his point. Because a painting's value can be enhanced by its historical significance, it is important to discover its background. Identifying a painting from several centuries ago is not easy. Because there is no photocopy available, we must depend on physical descriptions provided by others for recognition. Only paintings possessed by rich or historically significant people would be described in inventories or letters saved over hundreds of years. Wars often brought destruction and chaos, destroying historical documentation.

Panofsky traces the "provenance" of this picture to provide a logical argument that the "London portrait" could be the Arnolfimi painting. He carefully documents the historical journey of the Arnolfimi painting, providing a continuous list of ownership from Don Diego de Guevara of Spain in the 1500's to Charles III in 1789. This careful documentation is to prove that the Amolfimi painting was still listed as being in Madr

Panofsky carefully examined and explained the validity of his sources, document events by tracing their chronological sequence, and used carefully constructed evidence to destroy his opponents' (i.e., Vermander, Varnewyck etc.) arguments.

Some symbols have been designed to represent a particular ritual or object. For instance, a crown represents royalty, and can be used to convey the same attributes. Van Eyck used commonly found object such as furnishings and room ornaments as symbols. In this painting he uses these symbols to reinforce the matrimonial theme. The single candle in the chandelier is used as a symbol of the "marriage candle given to the bride by the groom. The scene-taking place in a bedroom instead of a sitting room suggests a "Nuptial Chamber".

Before the Council of Trent was held in 1583, the rule regarding matrimony dictated only that two people accept each other to form a legal marriage. The Council of Trent added the stulation that 2 witnesses and a priest were also required. This distinction is important because the Van Eyck painting represented a marriage, and only two people are in it. Because the marriage occurred before 1583, this was allowable.

Panofsky uses the anecdote about Willibald Pirckheimer's mother to support his argument an undocumented wedding could lead to misunderstanding and problems. He talks about how Willibald Pirckheimer's mother was secretly married to Sigmund Stromer, but was able to abandon him for another man because the marriage or "joining of hands" had been done in secret. 1 Pirckheimer, a wealthy citizen of Nuremberg, was a German humanist and book collector. He often made his

Some common words found in the essay are:
Van Eyck, Art History, Geovanni Arnolfimi, Charles III, David Michal, Van Eyck's, Panofsky Vermander, Nuremberg German, Council Trent, Willibald Pirckheimer's, van eyck, london portrait, people standing, joining hands, people standing side, van eyck's, standing side, arnolfimi painting, art history, foreign quotes, written accounts, willibald pirckheimer's mother,

Approximate Word count = 1110
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Arts