“The Arnolfini Portrait” by Jan van Eyck
At first glance, the painting called The Arnolfini Portrait seems to be a very simple and straight-forward depiction of a wealthy merchant named Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini and his wife. However, if you look closely, you will see in the mirror that there are two other people entering the room. It’s widely believed that one of those figures is meant to be the artist, Van Eyck. There is also a Latin inscription on the wall above the mirror that says, “Jan van Eyck was here. 1434.” Like many portraits of the time, there are subtle clues left to portray the wealth of Mr. and Mrs. Arnolfini. The fabrics used in the scene, especially the fur lined-clothing, is a sign that they were a wealthy couple.
But one of the biggest hidden messages of all was the fact that Arnolfini’s wife had actually died 10 years before the painting was finished. Some believe that it took Van Eyck over ten years to finish the painting, while others believe that the man commissioned the painting in honor of his late wife. According to The Culture Trip, “the male figure’s loose grasp on the woman’s slipping hand, and the odd candles in the ornate chandelier – that on the man’s side is still whole and lit, while the opposite candle holder is empty aside from a few drops of wax, signifying that the man’s life light is still burning while hers has burnt out.”