Girl In A Green Gown. The History And Mystery Of The Arnolfini Portrait

Cover Type: Hardcover
Book Condition: Fine
Jacket Condition: Fine
Publisher: Chatto & Windus
Publisher Place: London
Publisher Year: 2011
Edition: First Edition

Description: 256 pages. Book and Jacket appear to have hardly been read and are both in Fine condition throughout.

Publishers Description: The Arnolfini portrait, painted by Jan van Eyck in 1434, is one of the worlds most famous paintings. It intrigues all who see it. Scholars and the public alike have puzzled over the meaning of this haunting gem of medieval art, a subtle and beautiful double portrait of a wealthy Bruges merchant and his wife.The enigmatic couple seem to be conveying a message to us across the centuries, but what Is the painting the celebration of marriage or pregnancy, a memorial to a wife who died in childbirth, a fashion statement or a status symbol Using her acclaimed forensic skills as an art historian, Carola Hicks set out to decode the mystery, uncovering a few surprises along the way.She also tells the fascinating story of the paintings survival through fires, battles, hazardous sea journeys, and its role as a mirror reflecting the culture and history of the time - from jewel of the Hapsburg empire to Napoleonic war trophy. Uniquely, for a masterpiece this old, it can be tracked through every single owner, from the mysterious Mr Arnolfini via various monarchs to a hard-up Waterloo war hero, until it finally came to rest in 1842 as an early star of the National Gallery. These owners, too, have cameo parts in this enthralling story of how an artwork of genius can speak afresh to each new generation.

ISBN: 9780701183370