Which Flemish painter made The Arnolfini Portrait in 1434?

Jan van Eyck made The Arnolfini Portrait in 1434. This Early Netherlandish oil painting depicts a richly dressed couple in an interior filled with carefully rendered objects, symbols, and clues about identity and status.

The figures are generally identified as the Italian merchant Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini and his wife, probably shown in their home in Bruges. Van Eyck signed and dated the work on the wall above the convex mirror with the words “Johannes de eyck fuit hic 1434,” meaning “Jan van Eyck was here 1434.” The mirror reflects the room and two additional figures, creating an unusually complex picture space.

For centuries, viewers debated whether the scene records a marriage ceremony, a betrothal, or simply a formal double portrait. The elaborate clothing, chandelier, bed, fruit, dog, and mirror have all attracted symbolic interpretations, though some traditional explanations remain disputed. The painting is now in the National Gallery in London and is sometimes called The Arnolfini Wedding or The Arnolfini Marriage.