Contents
Jan van Eyck
Bringing extraordinary detail and luminous colour to early Netherlandish oil painting.
Ghent Altarpiece · The Arnolfini Portrait
- Born
- c. 1390
- Birthplace
- Maaseik, present-day Belgium
- Died
- 1441
More people
Jan van Eyck
Painter and Burgundian court employee whose portraits and religious works made oil paint a medium of remarkable precision. He refined an existing technique rather than inventing it.
Early life
Uncertain beginnings
His exact birth date and early training are not securely documented.
A painter’s family
His brother Hubert was also a painter and is associated with the beginnings of the Ghent Altarpiece.
Career
- 1422–1425
Court employment
Worked for John of Bavaria in The Hague as an established painter.
- 1425
Burgundian service
Entered the service of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy.
- 1430s–1441
Bruges workshop
Produced portraits and religious paintings while continuing court service.
Selected work
Ghent Altarpiece
Completed the celebrated multi-panel altarpiece associated with Hubert and Jan van Eyck.
The Arnolfini Portrait
A richly detailed interior with a couple, mirror and carefully rendered possessions.
The Virgin and Child with Canon van der Paele
A devotional portrait combining figures, fabrics and architecture in extraordinary detail.
Beyond work
Diplomatic travel
Undertook journeys for the duke, including a mission to Portugal.
An ambitious signature
Signed several works with variations of his motto, often translated as “As I can.”
Sources & photo credit
Biography and references ↗Institutional biography and career ↗Photo: Jan van Eyck — Portrait of a Man (possible self-portrait). Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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