Jan van Eyck – Renaissance Realist

Jan van Eyck (c. 1395 – 1441) was a Flemish painter considered to be one of the best Northern European painters of the 15th century. Because of his effective use of glazes, wet-on-wet, and other techniques, he was known as the father of oil painting. For much of his life he served as a painter and valet de chambre to Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy. Jan van Eyck produced paintings for both private clients as well as for the court. Among his most famous works is the Ghent Altarpiece, a polyptych containing many works included in our pattern set. Other paintings included are Arnolfini Portrait, Annunciation, the Stygmata of St. Francis, Portrait of a Goldsmith, Portrait of a Young Man, Portrait of a Man in a Turban, Portrait of a Man with Carnation, Portrait of Margareta van Eyck, and Portrait of Jan de Leeuw.