Jan van Eyck - The Virgin of the Chancellor Rolin, detail 1434-1436
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The Virgin of the Chancellor Rolin, detail 1434-1436
66x62cm oil on oak
Louvre, Paris, France
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From Louvre, Paris:
Van Eyck depicts the chancellor kneeling before the Virgin and Child. The ostentatious figure cut by the donor, dressed in gold brocade and furs like a prince, betrays his desire to be seen as a high-ranking court dignitary. The composition is designed around an opening made up of three arcades. On one side is the worldly public figure kneeling on a prie-dieu covered with finely worked velvet cloth and, on the other, the sacred figures. The Virgin is seated on a marble throne wearing a full, embroidered cloak adorned with precious stones. The capitals on the left depict scenes from the Old Testament that highlight the errors of humanity: the expulsion from the Garden of Eden, the sacrifice of Cain and Abel, God receiving Abel's offering, the murder of Cain, Noah in the ark, and finally Noah covered by one of his sons. The entire picture is composed as a "holy conversation" (a scene that brings saints and donor together)—Van Eyck helped to disseminate this genre, which was to prove very popular in Italy.