Jan van Eyck’s 'Arnolfini Portrait’ gets a controversial new frame

Portrait of ArnolfiniA major attraction at London’s National Gallery has received a new frame aimed at reshaping how visitors view the famous John van Eyck painting.

It’s normal for beloved artworks to get new frames every now and then, and when they do, those frames don’t get much discussion. But when Peter Shade, head of the National Gallery’s framing department, broke the news about the Van Eyck painting’s makeover, users of social media site X were divided on its merits.

Shade noted in X that the 19th-century Gothic frame was once there Portrait of Arnolfini Now replaced by a newly acquired 15th-century frame with gilded moulding. „Figures appear larger and detail appears crisper without the competition of inappropriate sculpting,” Shade wrote.

It was quite a change for a painting that is widely regarded as one of the finest paintings ever to come out of Europe. The painting, created in 1434, is a double portrait of a merchant and his wife, and is praised for its high level of naturalism – achieved through Van Eyck’s use of oil, the use of which was first popularized during the Northern Renaissance. and for its sophisticated perspective tricks.

The new frame elicited a polarized response. Bender Grosvenor, an art historian and a Art Newspaper columnist, wrote, “Courageous. But an improvement.”

But not everyone is so happy. „Essentially, the new frame evokes our ideas of minimalism over painting, albeit gilded moldings of the 15th century.” A user wrote:. „The new frame also catches more light. Respect the 19th century aesthetic!”

„Previous [frame] „Additional Depth” wrote another. „New makes the whole thing flat.”

Regardless, the tweet marked a rare moment of social media drama centered around the Northern Renaissance, with Shade’s post receiving more than 9,000 likes. It’s probably just one time Social website A clip of Justin Timberlake giving advice on behalf of Facebook The call has been made Opposite Jan van Eyck.