Donor and St. John the Baptist 1432

These panels by Jan van Eyck, now in Ghent’s St. Bavo Cathedral, feature a donor in prayer alongside John the Baptist. Notice John’s symbolic lamb. The lamb, or Agnus Dei, represents Christ's sacrifice and purity, a motif echoing back to ancient sacrificial rites and forward to countless depictions of Christ. The lamb’s symbolism is deeply rooted in the human psyche, evoking ideas of innocence, sacrifice, and redemption, reflecting a collective yearning for spiritual cleansing. Think of the shared ritual of purification across cultures, where the lamb—or other animal offerings—serves as a vessel for spiritual renewal. This yearning resurfaces again and again, adapted in form but constant in its emotional core, a testament to our shared history and our cyclical search for meaning.