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The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck

The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck has long been a source of some controversy over the meaning of its symbolism, the nature of the event being depicted, and other issues. The portrait is supposed to be a rendition of a marriage between two people, though there has been some doubt cast on this view as well as on other matters related to the work. some see the picture as depicting a marriage, while others hold that it may be a portrait of two people who are already married (and the pregnant bride is one reason for this) or even a business transaction that is being recorded between Giovanna and Giovanni Arnolfini. An analysis of several of the arguments may suggest an answer to these and other matters.

Erwin Panofsky suggests that the painting is a portrait of the wedding of the Arnolfinis. Panofsky notes that the picture has long been accepted as a portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini, though there have been some from time to time who have argued otherwise. Panofsky says that the subject matter of this picture is unique in northern fifteenth-century panel-painting. He also notes that the painting has long been considered to be made up of the constituent elements that make up a legal marriage or betrothal. In his analysis of the picture, Panofsky cites Catholic dogma that holds that marriage is a sacrament which is immediately accomplished by the mutual consent of the persons to be married when such consent is expressed by words and actions. The Church cautioned the faithful against marrying secretly, but there was no sanction until after the Council of Trent in 1563. This means that prior to that time two people could contract a perfectly valid and legitimate marriage whenever and wherever they like, with no witnesses, provided that the essential condition of mutual consent expressed by words and actions were fulfilled. These "words and actions" began with an appropriate formula solemnly pronounced by the bride as well as by...

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The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 19:27, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1708665.html