600:
92:, a feature unusually evident in northern Europeans of the era. The painter has taken a number of liberties with representation to accentuate the features of his wife. Her head is out of proportion to her body, and her forehead unusually and fashionably high, a device which allows the artist to concentrate on the facial features of his wife. In addition, the geometric pattern formed by her head-dress, arms and the V of her neck-line allows her face to dominate the image.
22:
130:. The fabrics and colours worn by people of the 15th century were informally regulated by their social position; for example black, an expensive dye, could only be worn by the upper reaches of society. As the widow of a renowned painter, Margaret was afforded a modest pension by the city of Bruges after Jan's death. It is recorded that at least some of this income was invested in
83:
Margaret is shown in three-quarter view, that is her body almost directly facing the viewer but not quite. She is set against a flat black and featureless background, wearing an elegant red woolen gown with grey fur lining (in the medieval period fur often represented female sexuality), probably from
142:
Although the Early
Netherlandish painters are highly regarded today, they were almost forgotten by the early 1800s. This work was not rediscovered until the late 18th century when it was found for sale in a Belgian fish market, although accounts differ. As with most of the rediscovered works of its
115:
The reason for the inception of the painting is unknown, but that it was created for private rather than public viewing can be inferred from the sitter's unidealised representation and her direct but plaintive gaze towards the viewer, which creates an intimate and informal atmosphere. The painting
55:. It is one of the latest of his surviving paintings, and one of the earliest European artworks to depict a painter's spouse. Completed when Margaret van Eyck was around 34, it was hung until the early 18th century in the Bruges chapel of the Guild of painters. The work is thought to be a
119:
The couple likely married around 1432–33, soon after his move to Bruges - she is unmentioned before he relocated while the first of their two children was born in 1434. Very little is known of
Margaret, even her maiden name is lost - contemporary records refer to her mainly as
143:
era, it underwent a number of attributions before a broad consensus on its origin was formed. The portrait is still in its original frame and is in very good condition with the colours and paint well preserved. It was cleaned and restored by the
150:
Many early collectors and later art historians speculated that it might have once formed half of a diptych. It was paired as a pendant for a time with a self-portrait by van Eyck when two of his works were acquired by the chapel of the
124:. She is thought to have been of aristocratic birth (1405), though from the lower nobility, evidenced from her clothes in this portrait which are fashionable but not of the sumptuousness worn by the bride in van Eyck's
220:
175:
warned against assumptions based on facial resemblance, believing that artists of the time may have projected the likeness of the women in their lives onto female subjects in their religious work.
107:
was something of a personal motto and motif for van Eyck, as well as a pun on his surname. It can be found inscribed on several of his religious paintings, though on only two portraits.
245:
976:
910:
631:
844:
1044:
989:
674:
574:
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Van Eyck died within two years of this work. He inscribed plates on the top and ends of the frame in Greek lettering with the words,
529:
599:
807:
221:"The restoration of 'Margaret, the Artist's Wife' | The restoration of 'Margaret, the Artist's Wife' | National Gallery, London"
155:
before 1769. Some critics, when supporting the theory of a diptych, mention a now-lost male portrait known to be similar to his
734:
508:
475:
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was probably created to mark an occasion; maybe to commemorate the couple's anniversary, or her birthday, or as a gift to her.
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820:
394:
Benton, Janetta Rebold. "Materials, Methods, and
Masterpieces of Medieval Art". Praeger, 2009.
165:, London. A third painting is suspected, but not known, to be a portrait of Margaret: the 1436
63:
panel for either a now lost self-portrait known from records until 1769, or of Jan van Eyck's
773:
682:
461:
883:
404:
8:
152:
97:
My husband
Johannes completed me in the year 1439 on 17 June, at the age of 33. As I can.
437:
Illuminating
Fashion: Dress in the Art of Medieval France and the Netherlands, 1325-1515
703:
545:
126:
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is decorated with multiple layers of crimped linen. Her left eye shows evidence of a
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now in the
National Gallery in London. It is in the collection of the
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370:. London, National Gallery. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998.
131:
60:
453:
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72:
318:
The
National Gallery tentatively titles the male portrait as
977:Christ on the Cross with the Virgin and Saint John
1021:
352:Borchert, Till-Holger. "Margaret van Eyck", in
469:
368:The Fifteenth-Century Netherlandish Paintings
84:squirrel, in the neck and cuffs. Her horned
476:
462:
675:Virgin and Child with Canon van der Paele
575:Portrait of Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini
218:
20:
296:
294:
292:
1022:
735:Crucifixion and Last Judgement Diptych
530:Portrait of Cardinal Niccolò Albergati
509:Portrait of a Man with a Blue Chaperon
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271:
269:
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423:The Last Flowering of the Middle Ages
356:. London: Thames & Hudson, 2011.
808:Study for Cardinal Niccolò Albergati
632:Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata
289:
264:
13:
538:Portrait of a Man (Self Portrait?)
320:Portrait of a Man (Self Portrait?)
238:
14:
1056:
1045:Collection of the Groeningemuseum
382:Jan van Eyck: The Play of Realism
937:Portrait of a Man with Carnation
845:Portrait of Isabella of Portugal
598:
483:
198:Virgin and Child at the Fountain
892:Madonna of Nicolas van Maelbeke
411:. London: Phaidon Press, 2004.
333:
324:
312:
252:, London. Retrieved 4 Nov 2011.
219:Gallery, The National; London.
554:Portrait of Baudouin de Lannoy
425:. Kessinger Publishing, 2005.
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588:Portrait of Margaret van Eyck
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34:Portrait of Margaret van Eyck
26:Portrait of Margaret van Eyck
16:1439 painting by Jan van Eyck
7:
911:The Three Marys at the Tomb
659:Madonna of Chancellor Rolin
441:Morgan Library & Museum
40:Margaret, the Artist's Wife
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884:Vera Icon (Head of Christ)
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1035:Portraits by Jan van Eyck
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990:Saint Jerome in His Study
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171:. However, art historian
567:Portrait of Jan de Leeuw
409:The Northern Renaissance
384:. Reaktion Books, 1997.
183:
821:Study for a Crucifixion
696:Madonna at the Fountain
421:Van Der Elst, Joseph.
225:nationalgallery.org.uk
122:Damoiselle Marguierite
29:
683:Madonna in the Church
405:Smith, Jeffrey Chipps
24:
924:The Fountain of Life
246:Margaret's red dress
65:likely self-portrait
435:Van Buren, Anne H.
153:Guild of Saint Luke
49:Early Netherlandish
1040:Portraits of women
704:Madonna of Jan Vos
546:Arnolfini Portrait
147:, London in 1998.
127:Arnolfini Portrait
30:
28:, 41.2cm x 34.6 cm
1017:
1016:
969:Ince Hall Madonna
858:Saint Christopher
774:Turin–Milan Hours
730:, completed 1432)
449:978-1-9048-3290-4
380:Harbison, Craig.
366:Campbell, Lorne.
362:978-0-500-23883-7
354:Van Eyck to Durer
196:The other is the
158:Portrait of a Man
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963: 1430–1432
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47:painting by the
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667:Lucca Madonna
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522:LĂ©al Souvenir
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494:List of works
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417:0-7148-3867-5
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400:0-275-99418-X
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390:0-948462-79-5
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376:0-300-07701-7
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330:Harbison, 208
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309:Campbell, 214
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277:Borchert, 149
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168:Lucca Madonna
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161:, now in the
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27:
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972:(after 1434)
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895:(after 1440)
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645:Annunciation
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618:Annunciation
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485:Jan van Eyck
439:. New York:
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339:Harbison, 97
335:
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261:Campbell, 32
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228:. Retrieved
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209:Borchert, 36
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53:Jan van Eyck
43:) is a 1439
39:
38:
33:
32:
31:
25:
18:
984: 1435
956:Crucifixion
931: 1432
878: 1434
865: 1460
828: 1440
815: 1432
782: 1420
777:("Hand G",
766:manuscripts
764:Illuminated
755: 1437
707:(1441–1443)
582: 1438
561: 1435
516: 1430
230:21 December
200:in Antwerp.
138:Attribution
103:ALS ICH KAN
99:"As I can"
79:Description
75:, Belgium.
45:oil on wood
1024:Categories
715:Polyptychs
179:References
111:Background
1010:(brother)
903:Contested
501:Portraits
948:Workshop
792:Drawings
620:(Madrid)
443:, 2011.
1001:Related
347:Sources
132:lottery
61:diptych
57:pendant
51:master
993:(1442)
940:(1435)
803:(1437)
726:(with
699:(1439)
678:(1436)
670:(1436)
662:(1435)
591:(1439)
570:(1436)
549:(1434)
541:(1433)
533:(1432)
525:(1432)
447:
429:
415:
398:
388:
374:
360:
90:squint
86:wimple
73:Bruges
610:works
184:Notes
837:Lost
445:ISBN
427:ISBN
413:ISBN
396:ISBN
386:ISBN
372:ISBN
358:ISBN
232:2023
37:(or
248:".
71:in
59:or
1026::
981:c.
960:c.
928:c.
915:c.
875:c.
862:c.
849:c.
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812:c.
779:c.
752:c.
739:c.
687:c.
650:c.
636:c.
623:c.
579:c.
558:c.
513:c.
407:.
291:^
266:^
223:.
134:.
784:)
477:e
470:t
463:v
244:"
234:.
105:)
101:(
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