Jan (ca. 1390-1441) & Hubert VAN
EYCK (ca. 1385-1390 – 1426)
Singing and Music-Making Angels (Ghent Altarpiece), 1432
Oil on panel
164.5 x 72.3 cm and 134.5 x 73.1 cm
Saint Bavo’s Cathedral, Ghent
Since it was painted by the Van Eyck brothers in 1432, the Ghent Altarpiece has had a turbulent history marked by thefts, fires, iconoclasm, seizures and sales. It is therefore all the more remarkable that it can still be admired in Saint Bavo’s Cathedral in Ghent.
Since 2012, teams from the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK-IRPA) have been conducting a large-scale research and conservation campaign of the entire painting. This takes place in the Museum of Fine Arts (MSK) in Ghent, where the public can see this special work up close. The website Closer to Van Eyck provides access to all photographic and scientific documentation, including the two panels Music-Making Angels and Singing Angels.
On the panel of the Music-making angels three angels with instruments are depicted: one seated at an organ, another holding a harp, and a third carrying a vielle, a medieval stringed instrument with a sound box. The Singing angels on the other panel complement this musical ensemble and add a vocal dimension to the composition.
Left: the Music-making angels before restoration.
Right: their regained brilliance after the removal of the varnish layer.
© Saint Bavo’s Cathedral, Ghent, www.artinflanders.be, photo KIK-IRPA
The Singing angels, carefully cleaned.
© MSK | Martin Corlazzoli
© MSK | Martin Corlazzoli
© MSK | Martin Corlazzoli
The Music-making angels during the delicate removal of the varnish layer,
revealing the original colours.
© MSK | Martin Corlazzoli
© MSK | Martin Corlazzoli
