In Saint Bavo`s Cathedral in Ghent, a treasure is kept that art historians call the masterpiece of 15th-century Netherlandish painting and one of the most significant works of Western European art. This is the Ghent Altarpiece, also known as "The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb," a monumental polyptych created over five hundred years ago that still amazes viewers with its beauty, complexity, and mystery.
Masters: The Enigma of the Van Eyck Brothers
On the lower frame of the altarpiece, a Latin inscription has been preserved, which reads: "The painter Hubert van Eyck, than whom none was greater, began this work, and his brother Johannes, second in this art, completed the difficult task at the request of Joos Vijd. With this line the donor entrusts to your care what came to pass on 6 May with thanksgiving for the successful outcome of the matter." This date — 6 May 1432 — is considered the day of the altarpiece`s consecration.
Thus the world of art history learned the names of two brothers who stood at the origins of the Northern Renaissance. However, debates still surround them to this day. Hubert van Eyck is an enigmatic figure. He is believed to have been born around 1360–1370 and was the elder brother. It is known that in 1421–1422, he was a member of a religious brotherhood in Ghent, where he lived.
In 1424, the city magistrates visited his workshop — perhaps it was then that they saw the altarpiece on which the master was working on commission from the wealthy burgher Joos Vijd. Hubert did not have time to complete this titanic work: he died on 18 September 1426 and was buried in the crypt beneath the very chapel he was adorning.
For a long time, there was a theory that Hubert van Eyck was a fictitious figure, invented by the people of Ghent who could not accept that the main masterpiece of their city had been completed by an artist from Bruges. This myth was launched in 1933 by a Bruges art dealer whose reputation, however, was highly questionable — many works from his collection turned out to be forgeries, and during the Second World War he had dealings with the Nazi leadership. Today, thanks to dendrochronological analysis of the wood and pigment research, the authenticity of the inscription on the altarpiece has been confirmed, and Hubert`s existence is no longer doubted by serious scholars.
Jan van Eyck, the younger brother, was born around 1385–1390. Much more is known about his life. From 1422 to 1424, he served John of Bavaria, Count of Holland, in The Hague. He then entered the service of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, one of the most powerful rulers in Europe. The Duke appointed him as his court painter and chamberlain with an annual salary of 100 livres. But Jan was not only an artist — diplomatic missions were entrusted to him. In 1428–1429, he was part of the embassy sent to Portugal to negotiate the marriage of Princess Isabella of Portugal to Duke Philip. During this journey, Jan became acquainted with southern vegetation, which later appeared in his paintings.
After his brother`s death, Jan completed the Ghent Altarpiece, and then settled in Bruges, where he lived until his death in 1441. He often signed his paintings with the personal motto "Als ich can" — "As I can," which sounded ambiguous: either as a challenge ("I could, try to surpass"), or as humility ("do not judge too harshly").
Technique: The Birth of Oil Painting
For a long time, Jan van Eyck was considered the inventor of oil painting. This legend, first put forward by Giorgio Vasari, proved surprisingly tenacious. In fact, oil paints were known earlier — they were used, for example, for painting wooden sculptures. However, the Van Eyck brothers brought about a true revolution: they perfected the composition of paints and varnish, learning to apply them in the thinnest glazing layers over a white chalk ground.
The white ground reflected light, and the transparent layers of paint, allowing it to pass through, created an effect of inner radiance. As a result, the colours on the altarpiece — which is almost six centuries old! — have not faded and have retained their extraordinary brilliance. The thin oil film both reflected and absorbed the incoming light, creating the illusion that the image emits light from within. This technique made it possible to convey the subtlest colour transitions and achieve an unprecedented level of realism.
Composition: The Altarpiece as a Universe
The Ghent Altarpiece is a monumental polyptych consisting of 24 oak panels on which 258 human figures are depicted. Its central section reaches three and a half metres in height, and when open, its width is five metres. The side wings are painted on both sides, so the altarpiece has two appearances — a weekday one and a festive one.
Outer Wings: Prophecy of Salvation
When closed, the Ghent Altarpiece faces the viewer with its outer wings. The upper register features figures of Old Testament prophets and pagan prophetesses — the Erythraean and Cumaean Sibyls, the prophets Zechariah and Micah. They hold scrolls with the texts of their prophecies about the coming of Christ.
Below unfolds the scene of the Annunciation. The figures of the Virgin Mary and the Archangel Gabriel are separated by the image of a window, through which a view of medieval Ghent can be glimpsed — likely the same view that could be seen from the house of the donor, Joos Vijd.
The lowest register of the Ghent Altarpiece is executed in the grisaille technique, imitating stone statues. Here are depicted John the Baptist and John the Evangelist — the patron saints of the church for which the altarpiece was created. On either side of them, in kneeling prayerful poses, are the donors themselves: Joos Vijd and his wife Elisabeth Borluut. These are among the most realistic portraits of their time, painted with a precision astonishing for the 15th century.
Inner Wings: The Triumph of Redemption
On major feast days, the wings of the Ghent Altarpiece were opened, and the congregation`s eyes beheld a spectacle that contemporaries called a miracle. The upper register features a monumental composition. In the centre, enthroned, sits God the Father — a figure clad in magnificent red robes. At his feet lies a crown, symbolising his supremacy over all earthly kings. To his right is the Virgin Mary, to his left is John the Baptist. Next come singing and music-making angels without wings — one of them plays a portative organ with metal pipes.
The outermost wings of the upper register of the Ghent Altarpiece feature the nude figures of Adam and Eve — a rare depiction of the nude in church art at that time. Above them, in the lunettes, are scenes of Cain and Abel`s sacrifice (above Adam) and Cain`s killing of Abel (above Eve).
The lower register opens with the central scene — "The Adoration of the Lamb." On a green meadow, amidst flowering plants, rises an altar on which stands the Lamb — a symbol of Christ who accepted sacrifice for the sins of the world. Blood from his chest flows into the Holy Grail. Before the altar flows a fountain — a symbol of the fountain of life.
From all sides, crowds of the righteous gather towards the Lamb. On the left are Old Testament prophets and patriarchs, on the right — apostles, popes, bishops, monks, and laypeople. Among them, one can make out ancient classical figures, and, as some researchers believe, the artist himself. On the side wings, processions unfold: on the left — the Hosts of Christ and the Righteous Judges, on the right — the Hermits and the Pilgrims.
Details of the Ghent Altarpiece That Amaze the Imagination
Van Eyck was incredibly meticulous. On the altarpiece, the smallest details are painstakingly rendered: the highlights on jewels and the fountain reflect windows and a view of the city — and this is done with such precision that it seems as if we are looking not at a painting, but at a photograph of the real world. Drops of blood on the Lamb`s body, the texture of fabrics, the expressions on the faces of more than three hundred figures — and not one face is repeated.
The Ghent Altarpiece is full of mysteries. Why is God the Father wearing strange black shoes more befitting Satan? Why does Eve hold a lemon rather than an apple? Why did the artist, recreating the scene of the Last Judgment, depict only heaven, forgetting about hell? Some researchers have even suggested that the altarpiece contains an encrypted message from the Templars concerning the location of the Holy Grail.
Restoration: A Return to Origins
In 2010, a large-scale restoration of the Ghent Altarpiece began, which continues to this day and is expected to be completed in 2026. Scientists and restorers encountered astonishing discoveries. It turned out that over the centuries, the altarpiece had been repainted many times — not always due to damage, but often simply because of changing tastes.
The most sensational discovery concerned the central Lamb. Under a 16th-century layer of paint, the original image was found: the Lamb turned out to have not four ears, but a completely different face — semi-human, semi-ovine, with a gaze fixed directly on the viewer. A canon of the cathedral said that he could no longer look at the Lamb`s face without feeling embarrassed: "Christ looks me straight in the eyes."
In the Middle Ages, anthropomorphic depictions of the Lamb had a long tradition, dating back to early Christian mosaics in Rome and Ravenna. However, by the 16th century, after the Council of Trent, when matters of reverent depiction of sacred figures became subject to strict rules, such a Lamb might have been considered inappropriate, and so it was overpainted. Today, after the removal of later layers, we see the altarpiece as the Van Eyck brothers intended it.
During the restoration of the Ghent Altarpiece, extensive 16th-century overpainting was also discovered on the garments of John the Baptist, Mary, and God the Father, which are now also being removed. The restoration is being carried out in an open format: visitors to the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent can observe the work in a special studio.
An Incredible History: The Adventures of a Masterpiece
The history of the Ghent Altarpiece is full of dramatic episodes. In 1566, when iconoclastic Calvinists broke into the cathedral, the altarpiece was hidden in the tower — and the frenzied crowd, enticed by a barrel of beer placed at the entrance, never found it. In 1578, it was hidden again — this time in the town hall, where it remained for six years.
In 1781, the Austrian Emperor Joseph II, visiting Ghent, was offended by the sight of the nude Adam and Eve. On his orders, the wings were removed, and copies were placed in their stead, covering the nude areas with leather aprons.
In 1794, Napoleonic troops took the central panels to the Louvre. After Napoleon`s defeat, they were returned — but not for long. The pragmatic vicar of the cathedral sold the side wings, which eventually ended up in the Berlin Museum. In 1861, the Belgian government purchased Adam and Eve, which had been lying in a basement all that time, and placed them in the Brussels Museum.
During the First World War, Canon van den Gheyn, risking his life, took the altarpiece out of the cathedral on a ragpicker`s cart, hid it in a neighbouring house, and thus saved it from the Germans. But the most famous theft occurred in 1934: the panel depicting the "Righteous Judges" was stolen. The thief, on his deathbed, confessed, but never revealed where he had hidden the masterpiece. Since then, the panel has been replaced by a copy, and the search continues to this day.
During the Second World War, the altarpiece was taken to France, then seized by the Nazis and stored in a salt mine in Austria, from which the Allies recovered it in 1945.
The Ghent Altarpiece Today
Today, the altarpiece is located in Saint Bavo`s Cathedral, in a specially equipped chapel, under bulletproof glass. After the completion of the restoration, it will appear before viewers as the Van Eyck brothers intended it over five centuries ago.
The Ghent Altarpiece by the Van Eyck brothers is rightfully considered one of the most significant works of Western European art. Its significance extends far beyond religious painting: it is a technical revolution in the field of oil painting, an encyclopaedia of 15th-century iconography, and a monument to the complex and dramatic history of Europe. For a visitor to Ghent, encountering the altarpiece becomes not just a point on a tourist itinerary, but a central event, allowing one to understand why this Flemish city has remained a destination for art lovers from around the world for centuries.
