Jan Van Eycks Arnolfini Wedding Portrait
Jan Van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait In her article “Jan Van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait: Business as Usual?” Linda Seidel analyzes the Arnolfini Marriage Portrait painted by Jan Van Eyck in 1434. ... According to Seidel, the subject of the painting is the Ring Day portion of the wedding ceremonies and festivities. She believes that Giovanni Arnolfini and Giovanna Cenami are the two people represented in the center of the painting. ... She also states that it is possible that Giovanna Cenami was not yet of age to marry and this painting served as a promise of their wedding in the future. No matter which of Seidel’s assumptions, if any, are true it is clear that her beliefs lead her to think that this portrait depicts a moment of business and trade in strange senses of the words. Erwin Panofsky’s article “Jan Van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait” was refuted as fiction many times in Linda Seidel’s article but does raise some interesting issues. Panofsky wrote that the people represented are Giovanni Arnolfini and Jeanne de Cename.