When was the ghent altarpiece made

New images are added as the multi-year conservation treatment progresses, the latest being post-treatment images of the exterior panels that are visible when the altarpiece is closed.

The web application is setting new standards for digital projects related to art history and conservation by providing access to the decision-making process for the treatment of the altarpiece and by disseminating the open-source technology behind the website to the museum community. Above: Assembly of digital macrophotographs of the "Archangel Annunciate" exterior panel of the Ghent Altarpiece before left and after right conservation treatment.

Watch a video of the conservation assessment and website for the Ghent Altarpiece. Van der Velden says that the Ghent Altarpiece is an excellent model for inquiry because the painting is so complex. The panels display a variety of detailed scenes, but the center of the altarpiece depicts Jesus Christ, the Virgin, and Saint John the Baptist, and, below them, a host of saints assembled around the mystic lamb.

On the exterior panels of the Ghent Altarpiece, for example, Van Eyck painted two white figures that look like statues. In a recent course meeting, Van der Velden explained that the figures which represent St. This world-famous masterpiece by the Van Eyck Brothers in Ghent has been restored many times in the past.

It has been undergoing thorough restoration and conservation work from until During its turbulent history, the Ghent Altarpiece has survived transportation, changes in temperature and humidity, horrifying attacks with a saw and fire damage. The Mystic Lamb was welcomed home like a king by the ecstatic people of Ghent, who lined the streets in a respectful guard of honour. There is a film of the amazing story of the Monuments Men, American art commandos who brought confiscated art back to where it belonged.

The people of Ghent adore the Ghent Altarpiece, and rightfully so, but they also have a sense of humour. You can see proof of this in this spoof video about the Ghent Altarpiece.

Several national and international top artists were inspired by the Mystic Lamb and brightened up the city centre with art. Does The Ghent Altarpiece make you want more? During your weekend getaway to Ghent, enjoy a guided walking tour around the city of Ghent. The choice is yours:. Are you anxious to find out who exactly was van Eyck, or how he influenced painters today? Discover the stories on these pages! Tickets up to 15 minutes before closing time.

Dedicated on May 6, in the Church of Saint John, Ghent now the Cathedral of Saint Bavo , the work was installed above an altar in a chantry chapel founded by the wealthy patrician Joos Vijd and his wife Elizabeth Borluut. The astonishing realism of the altarpiece rests not only in the fidelity with which figures, plants , and animals are represented in a convincing space, but also in its ability to forge a sense of continuity between the pictorial and the real world.

On the lower level, the technique of grisaille is used to depict fictive statues of the two Saints John, possibly as a painterly challenge to the long-established convention of sculpted retables. More astonishing still are the near-lifesize nudes of Adam and Eve on the interior, who appear to project out of the depths of their niches into real space. Rather, the work stands on its own as a visual account of the redemptive mysteries of the Catholic faith, beginning with the incarnation of Christ at the moment of the Annunciation represented on the exterior.