extended into the realm of diplomacy, as van Eyck was one of Philip’s emissaries to
Spain between 1424 and 1430. Van Eyck began his career in the Burgundian court after
the death of his former patron, John of Bavaria. Although he served Philip directly, his
production of panel painting for him went unrecorded. However, accounts of patronage
do exist for members of Philip’s circle. Van Eyck’s reputation as a great master emerged
from his superrealistic and sensual treatment of the panel, his rich and precise handling of
clothing and jewels. Van Eyck fully exploited oil paint as his medium, evidenced by his
exquisite details and nearly invisible brushwork. As was practiced by the majority of
northern painters, van Eyck infused the objects in his world with secondary, allegorical,
and christological meanings. The most obvious expression of his disguised symbolism
can be found in his treatment of the Virgin and Child, a subject van Eyck repeatedly
explored. His Madonna in the Church (ca. 1437–38), now hanging in the
Gemäldegalerie-Staatliche Museen in Berlin, represents a beautifully ex-ecuted example
of his style and iconographic approach: the large size of the Virgin in comparison with
her surroundings emphasizes her status. The Ghent Altarpiece (1432), which has sparked
many a debate concerning attribution and assemblage, was done in collaboration with his
brother Hubert and represents the only painting known by van Eyck prior to 1433.
Van Eyck produced his most renowned work for the members of the Burgundian court
or people closely linked to it, particularly the two-thirds of his paintings that contain
portraits. The Arnolfini Wedding Portrait, which rivals the altarpiece in reputation, was
painted for Giovanni Arnolfini in 1434. Arnolfini settled in Flanders with his half-French
wife after Philip the Good appointed him to a position at court. Baudouin de Lannoy, lord
of Molembaix, commissioned a work in honor of his membership in the order of the
Golden Fleece, founded by Philip in 1430. The inclusion of the order’s collar in his
portrait of 1435 advertises his newly acquired status. Van Eyck served Philip and the
court of Burgundy for a sixteen-year stint that ended with his death in 1441. It was during
his tenure as artist of the court that van Eyck developed the detailed, naturalistic style that
had such a great impact on all who followed him.
Michelle I.Lapine
[See also: GHENT; VAN DER WEYDEN, ROGIER]
Dhanens, Elisabeth. Hubert and Jan van Eyck. New York: Alpine, 1970.
Henbison, Craig. Jan van Eyck: The Play of Realism. London: Reaktion, 1991.
Panofsky, Erwin. Early Netherlandish Painting. New York: Harper and Row, 1971.
Snyder, James. Northern Renaissance Art. New York: Abrams, 1985.
VASSAL
. In modern usage, anyone who performed homage, swore fealty, and received a fief.
Such a generic sense of “vassal,” however, was unknown in medieval France, although
the lack of a systematic history of the term precludes a definitive summary of its
evolution.
Vassus and vassalus are latinized forms of Celtic terms for “servant.” In Salic Law, a
vassal was a slave, but by the 8th century he could be a legally free man who had
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