In September, Paula Nuttall gave members of the Arts Society Wokingham a fascinating detailed account of the 15th century Ghent Altarpiece.
As well as explaining its importance she revealed the meaning of its complex imagery, its later history and its recent restoration.
Completed in 1432, this large altarpiece represents a milestone in the history of art. It marks the beginning of the northern Renaissance. Its dazzlingly realistic depiction of people, plants and objects is in sharp contrast to previous medieval flat, unrealistic and mainly religious images.
It was commissioned by Jodocus Vijd, a wealthy Flemish wool merchant and constructed and painted by the brothers Hubert and Jan Van Eyck.
Hubert died in 1426, and Paula explained that Jan Van Eyck is thought to be responsible for the majority of the painting.
He developed the oil medium, blending and layering colours to produce a depth of colour and create innovative effects such as the sheen on the armour of St George, as shown in the picture.
Van Eyck’s attention to detail can also be seen in the expression on the faces of the knights.
The complex altarpiece consists of 12 wooden panels. It is hinged so eight of the panels are painted on both sides. The theme of the inner central panel is the Adoration of the Lamb with panels either side depicting the secular judges and knights as well as the pilgrims and hermits all converging on the Lamb.
When closed, the outer panels show images of Jodocus Vijd and his wife as well as images of the Annunciation, again a mixture of the secular and the religious.
Paula explained that this work of art has had a turbulent history. During the Reformation it had to be winched up into the belfry to save it from desecration. Napoleon’s troops stole the central panels. They were returned in 1816 but minus some of the original frames.
The outer wings were sold to the Germans and dispatched to Berlin but returned to Belgium at the end of the First World War.
In 1942, the Nazis took the altarpiece to the Salt Mines near Saltsburg where it was discovered by the Monuments Men in 1945, and repatriated. Despite all this it has remained largely intact.
It was restored in 1950, and then again in from 2012 to 2016. This second and more thorough project discovered and removed a coating of yellow varnish which had been applied in 1950, revealing the original paint colours.
Paula swept the audience along with her enthusiasm and knowledge. As one member said: ‘After listening to the lecture, I just want to visit Ghent’.
The Society’s next talk explores how women such as Lucrezia Borgia and Alfonsina Orsini overcame social constraints to become patrons of the arts in Renaissance Italy.
It will be held on October 17, at Moor Close, Newbold College. Guests are always welcome but do email memsectheartssocietywham@gmail.com to register beforehand.
The talk will also be available to watch on the society’s own YouTube channel.
For further details please visit the Society’s website, www.The ArtsSocietyWokingham.org.uk
Sue Bryant
