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The ''Ghent Altarpiece'' (also called the ''Adoration of the Mystic Lamb'' or ''The Lamb of God'', Dutch: ''Het Lam Gods'') is a very large and complex early 15th-century Early Flemish polyptych panel painting. The altarpiece comprises 12 panels, eight of which are hinged shutters. Each wing is painted on either side, giving two distinct views depending on whether they are open or closed. Except for Sundays and festive holidays, the outer wings were closed and often covered with cloth. It was commissioned to Hubert van Eyck, about whom little is known. He was most likely responsible for the overall design, but died in 1426. It seems to have been principally executed and completed by his younger and better known brother Jan van Eyck between 1430 and 1432.〔Burroughs (1933), 184〕 Although there have been extensive attempts to isolate passages attributable to either brother, no separation has been convincingly established. Today, most accept that the work was probably designed and constructed by Hubert and that the individual panels were painted by Jan. The altarpiece was commissioned by the merchant, financier and politician, Jodocus Vijd, then holding a position in Ghent similar to city mayor. It was designed for the chapel he and his wife acted as benefactors for, today's Saint Bavo Cathedral, at the time the parochial church of John the Baptist, protectorate to the city. It was officially installed on 6 May 1432 to coincide with an official ceremony for Philip the Good. It was later moved for security reasons to the principal cathedral chapel, where it remains. While indebted to the International Gothic as well as both Byzantine and Romanic traditions, the altarpiece represented a "new conception of art", in which the idealization of the medieval tradition gave way to an exacting observation of nature〔Gombrich, E.H., ''The Story of Art'', pages 236–9. Phaidon, 1995. ISBN 0-7148-3355-X〕 and unidealised human representation. A now lost inscription on the frame stated that Hubert van Eyck ''maior quo nemo repertus'' (greater than anyone) started the altarpiece, but that Jan van Eyck – calling himself ''arte secundus'' (second best in the art) – completed it in 1432.〔Burroughs, 184–193〕 The original, very ornate carved outer frame and surround, presumably harmonizing with the painted tracery, was destroyed during the Reformation; there has been speculation that it may have included clockwork mechanisms for moving the shutters and even playing music.〔Website with scanned reconstructions of the frame from Lotte Brand Philip's book, ''The Ghent Altarpiece'' (Princeton, 1971), which originated some of these ideas.〕 The outer panels contain two vertically stacked registers (rows). The upper rows show scenes from the Annunciation of Mary. The four lower-register panels are divided into two pairs; sculptural grisaille paintings of St John the Baptist and St John the Evangelist, and on the two outer panels, donor portraits of Joost Vijdt and his wife Lysbette Borluut. The upper register of the opened view shows a Deësis of Christ the King, Virgin Mary and John the Baptist. They are flanked by images of angels singing and playing music, and, on the outermost panels, Adam and Eve. The lower register of the central panel shows the adoration of the Lamb of God, with several groups in attendance or streaming in to worship, overseen by the dove of the Holy Spirit. Since its creation the altarpiece has been considered one of Northern European art's masterpieces and one of the world's treasures.〔Kurtz (2004), 24〕 Over the centuries the panels have come close to destruction during outbreaks of iconoclasm, or damage by fire. Some were sold, others looted during wars. The panels that had been taken away by the German occupying forces were returned to St. Bavo's Cathedral after World War I. In 1934 two panels, The Just Judges and Saint John the Baptist, were stolen. The panel of Saint John the Baptist was returned by the thief soon after, but the 'The Just Judges' panel is still missing. In 1945, the altarpiece was returned from Germany after spending much of World War II hidden in a salt mine, which greatly damaged the paint and varnish. The Belgian art restorer Jef Van der Veken produced a copy of the stolen panel 'The Just Judges', as part of an overall restoration effort. ==Commission== Jodocus (known as Joos) Vijd was a wealthy merchant and came from a family that had been influential in Ghent for several generations. His father, Vijd Nikolaas (d. 1412), had been close to Louis II of Flanders. By the end of his life Jodocus had become one of the most senior and politically powerful citizens of Ghent. He was titled ''Seigneur'' of Pamele and Ledeberg, and in a difficult and rebellious political climate, became one of the Duke of Burgundy Philip the Good's most trusted local councilmen. Around 1398 Jodocus married Lysbette Borluut, who also came from a rich and established city family.〔Borchert (2008), 31〕 The couple died childless and the endowment to the church and the commissioning of such an unprecedentedly monumental altarpiece were intended for a number of reasons, chiefly to secure a legacy. But, according to Borchert, also to "secure his position in the hereafter" and, important to such an ambitious politician, demonstrate his social prestige, revealing, Borchert believes, a desire to "show off and ... outstrip by far all other endowments to St John's, if not each and every other church and monastery in Ghent."〔Borchert (2008), 32–33〕 Ghent prospered through the early 15th century, and a number of local councilors sought to establish a sense of independence from Burgundian rule. Philip was experiencing financial difficulty in the early 1430s, and made strong demands on the city to provide revenue, a burden many of city councilors felt was unreasonable and that they could ill afford, financially or politically. The situation was tense, and because there was division within the council over the burden, this led to a mistrust that meant council membership was dangerous and precarious. During a power play in 1432 a number of councilors were murdered, seemingly for their loyalty to Philip. The tension came to a head in a 1433 revolt which ended with the beheading of the councilors who had acted as ringleaders.〔Hagen et al., 37〕 Throughout all this Vijd stayed loyal to Philip. His position as warden at St. John the Baptist's church (now Saint Bavo Cathedral) reflects this; the church was favoured by the Burgundians for official ceremonies held in Ghent. On the day of the altarpiece's consecration, 6 May 1432, Philip's and Isabella of Portugal's son was baptised there, a strong indicator of Vijd's status at the time.〔Borchert (2008), 32〕 Vijd, as warden (''kerkmeester'') of St. John's, between 1410 and 1420 not only financed the construction of the principal chapel's bay, but endowed a new chapel off the choir, which took his family name and was regularly to hold masses in his and his ancestors' memory. It was for this new chapel that he commissioned Hubert van Eyck to create an unusually large and complex polyptych altarpiece.〔 He was recorded as donor on an inscription on the original, now lost, frame. The chapel was dedicated to St. John the Baptist,〔Borchert (2008), 17〕 whose traditional attribute is the Lamb of God, a symbol of Christ.〔"(The Infant Saint John with the Lamb )". National Gallery, London. Retrieved 17 November 2012.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ghent Altarpiece」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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