This portrait like so many of Jan Van Eyck’s works is meant to tell us a story but in code. The artist plays coy with us by calling the painting Man in a Red Turban, as though the figure were someone unknown to the painter. At the bottom of the frame are letters saying (here a translation), “Jan Van Eyck Made Me, October 21, 1433.” At the top of the frame are letters saying in the best translation something to the effect of “As best I can,” or “All I can do.” Upon reading that, one might be tempted to think that the artist was being modest and humble. However, that straight-in-your-eye stare, the firm mouth, and no nonsense posture of the person in this portrait indicate that this is a person who knows his worth, regardless of name.
Françoise Gilot once wrote that Picasso spoke in “seductive enigmas,” and Jan Van Eych rather does the same thing but in painting. For instance, why the gigantic turban on this man’s head? Turbans, or chaperons as these large ones were known, were commonly worn by men in the early 15th century, and we see them in various colors on men in Van Eyck’s portraits. The brilliant scarlet of his large turban gives us a hint of the uncommon. Red was a very expensive color to manufacture in the 15th century. Before the Europeans knew about the Americas and the little red cochineal bug, red was made from the madder root, a plant which yielded rose madder and Turkey red. Not only was Van Eyck’s turban made from an expensive color, but its folds and twists suggest that it contained a rather large swath of cloth as well. While his other clothing was dark and somber, wearing this large, expensive, brightly colored item on his head told anyone who saw him coming that someone of substance was headed their way. Certainly by 1433, when Van Eyck painted this portrait, he was indeed a man of substance, as he was the court painter and sometimes diplomat for the Duke Philip, the Good, of Burgundy.
When Van Eyck says this was his best, he is not exaggerating. As a Valet of the Chamber of the Duke of Burgundy, Van Eyck held an esteemed position in court and in the town of Bruges where he lived. Having become part of the royal court in 1425, at the age of 35, he gained in stature and his works became immediately collectable, making his fortunes grow. It has been said that he even invented oil painting. No, that is not true, but he certainly did kick it up a notch. We see here the detail of the skin, the slight redness in the whites of the eyes, the reflection of light in the moisture in the eye, and that appraising stare. When he paints on the frame “Van Eyck Made Me,” he may as well be saying, yes, Van Eyck made Van Eyck and all of his successes. He wore his dignity and worth on his face, shown in detail in this portrait. And just to show how good was the “best” he could do, the words placed on the frame look like they are engraved into metal, though in fact they are just painted to look that way, an early and successful trompe l’oeil work.
This unknown figure is of someone who commission a portrait from Van Eyck, perhaps to commemorate an important event. It was not uncommon for paintings of the period to not have specific names, so it is not known to whom this relates. However, it is also more than a mere portrait. This man wears a very expensive head wrap as well, since it is colored blue, another very expensive color to create in 15th century Europe. His eyes do not engage the viewer of the portrait. Instead he looks off into the distance as if imagining something, which begs the question, what? There are two clues, both elucidated by Till-Holgen Borchert, a Van Eyck specialist and Director of Museums in Bruges. One clue is the little gold ring held in his right hand. It is in the style of an engagement ring. This man is going to ask some lady to marry him. The second clue is the uncovered ear on the right side of his head, which means he is waiting to hear a reply.
Now here is another man, but can you tell that his story might be different from that of the man in blue? He, too, holds a gold ring. He, too, has his right ear uncovered. However, there is nothing dreamy about his expression. He looks you in the eye and makes an offer, while listening and looking at the potential client. Yes, client. This is Jan van Leeuw, the goldsmith, and he is all about business. And since gold is metal, Van Eyck shows off his skill again by painting the frame to look as though it were bronze with a golden inset around the picture.
Van Eyck came from a family of painters. His older brother Hubert, younger brother Lambert, and sister Margaret were all painters. Hubert lived in Ghent where Jan joined him to work on one of the great masterpieces of European art, The Ghent Altarpiece or The Mystic Lamb. It was the finding and salvaging of this piece of art that the film Monument Men centered on, as it had to be recovered from Hitler and his regime. Hubert died during the production of the altarpiece, so Jan did the work to finish a considerable part of it. Lambert Van Eyck seems to have taken over Jan’s studio when the artist died in 1441. Margaret, the sister, was identified as a painter in 1568, long after her death, but nothing much is known of her life other than she never married and is buried beside her brother, Hubert, in Ghent. The celebrated Ghent Altarpiece is a work that more than merits its own space, which Of Art and Wine will take up at a later date, since this little essay is about some of Van Eyck’s portraits. However, it never hurts to have a glimpse of that wonderful piece.
Among Van Eyck’s most intriquing paintings is one that has become known by three different names: The Arnolfini Wedding, The Arnolfini Marriage, and The Arnolfini Portrait. It has become a riddle inside a mystery inside an enigma. However, a close look at the symbolism and the dates of the painting in relationship to the two Giovanni Arnolfinis has shed light on the painting’s purpose. For more see this web story: ofartandwine.com/web-stories/2618/
Jan Van Eyck was not just a master oil painter, but a storyteller of sorts, filling the viewer in on small details of the lives of those who came to him for portraits. Without being indiscreet, he left us clues to the lives of those who sat for him and in some cases, like that of the Arnolfini Portraits, created enduring mysteries.
Sources for this article are Jan Van Eyck by Till-Holgen Borchert, Taschen Publishing
The Stay At Home Museum. Episode 1: Jan Van Eyck, a video done by Till- Holgen Borchert youtube.com
Paintings used for this post are in public domain.
Marjorie Vernelle is an artist, writer, college professor, and traveler. For more see the Pages at ofartandwine.com. Her author page is at amazon.com and her art at Vernelle Art Boutique vernellestudio.com
Riesling, a Great Summer Wine
Riesling is one of the world’s most popular wines, and far be it from me to relegate it to summertime only. However, the crisp, dry, low-alcohol refreshment of a chilled glass of Kabinett Riesling is certainly a great wine to drink in summer. However, there is a lot more to this pride of the Rhine wine family, where its different types tell of the type of harvest the wine comes from, therefore, their level of sweetness. Yet, it is best to start at the beginning with a brief history of this grape and the wines that come from it.
Riesling appears along the Rhine River in Germany in the early 1400s. It became a favorite wine of the nobility who stocked their cellars with it. It was known to age well because of its acidity, with some bottles attaining an age of over 100 years. It became a great favorite for importation into to the “Low Countries” as Belgium and the Netherlands were called in Van Eyck’s time. It continued to be popular and really boomed in Europe in the mid-1800s. However, due to the political upheaveals of World Wars I and II, the wine fell into disfavor until the second half of the 20th century.
You will notice on the middle bottle pictured above the word, “Trocken.” This is one of the labels that can be seen on bottles of Riesling. It relates to the harvest and the qualities of the wine. Kabinett, which I spoke of above, is rather low in alcohol (8%-9%), light and dry in taste and comes from the normal harvest. Spatlese means late harvest, which adds a subtle sweetness to what is basically a dry wine. Auslese comes from a select harvest done only in the best of the growing seasons and is dry and fairly sweet. Beerenauslese is literarlly a berry select harvest taken when the grapes are very ripe and affected by “noble rot,” which is described as a rot caused by a fungus, botrytis cinerea, which causes the grapes to increase in sweetness and develop flavors of honey and ginger in the wine. Trockenbeerenauslese produce the sweetest, richest, most expensive Rieslings made only in exceptional years. Eiswein, or ice wine, is made from grapes that have been caught in a hard freeze. The sugars are very high, but that makes for an exceptional dessert wine. Finally there is Sekt, which is a sparkling Riesling made both in stainless steel containers and in the traditional oak barrels.
Now, there is no need to think that the only place to get Riesling from is Germany. It also comes from the Alsace region of France, which lies on the border with Germany and Switzerland. It has a drier more minerally taste due to the slate in the soil and the fact that the region is sunny. Austria produces Riesling that is grown along the Danube. It is quite dry, fuller bodied than the German Riesling and is said to have a “steelier taste” that its German cousin. Australia produces some of the driest of the Rieslings with a teeth-tingling acidity. In the U.S.A., Riesling is produced in California, but it is Washington State and the Finger Lakes region of New York State that produce the best Rieslings in the U.S.
Riesling has some interesting properties to consider. Though it is often considered the King of White Wines, as it works so well with spicy foods, comes in so many varieties, and can be aged, it does have a few peculiarities in taste. If it comes from a cooler climate, with well-drained soil and slate, it will have great aging possibilities. These qualities are what make the Rieslings of Washington and New York so appealing. Normally it is very aromatic, with notes of peach and citrus. However, there is another aroma that comes with Riesling, and that is of petrol. The higher the acidity, the more prominent the petrol smell. It comes from TDN, which is the short version of the half-line long name of the naturally occuring chemical that develops particularly in aged Riesling. The newer twist off caps on wine can allow this particular smell to become noticeable while the old fashioned cork bottles benefit from the cork’s ability to absorb the TDN and thus lessens the petrol smell.
Riesling is a food-friendly wine, with the lighter, dryier wines pairing well with light dishes like seafood and fish. The fuller-bodied Rieslings pair well with Asian food, spicy foods and fatty fish, like salmon. For a host of recipes of dishes that go with various types of Riesling, I am going to send you to Wine 101: Riesling on FoodandWine.com.
So grab a glass of this most delicious wine and come up with your own interpretations of Van Eyck’s work. You will definitely spend an enjoyable time doing that.
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©marjorie vernelle 2021
Coming Soon: Oil vs. Water, a Look at Renaissance Painting and Wine.
No, you do not have to open that many bottles of wine to find out the differences between Gewurtztraminer and Pinot Grigio. However, you might want to have a glass of whichever is your favorite while you read about the oil paintings of the Northern Renaissance versus the tempera frescoes of the Italian Renaissance.