It’s the Little Things
August 23rd, 2007 by Sou
I chose today’s painting, The Arnoflini Marriage by Jan van Eyck, to show you that sometimes it’s the little things that really count. Painted in 1943 by van Eyck, the subjects in the painting are Giovanni di Nicolao Arnoflini and his wife Giovanna Cenami.
Get your scalpels out because the dissecting’s about to begin!
Above the bed post, you can see a statue of Saint Margaret, patron saint of childbirth.
Above you can see a tree with flowers or fruits in bloom, which means it’s spring or summer. So why are the subjects wearing fur lined cloaks? (See below)
The cute little pup symbolises fidelity.
The oranges on the left side of the painting symbolise fertility.
This is my favourite part of the painting, the convex reflection in the mirror. It kind of loks like an all-seeing eye, doesn’t it?
Male clogs and female slippers, I love how they’ve been added to the painting, it gives it a very “at home” feeling.
So we’ve dissected the painting, take a look below for what the dissected put together make:
