Portrait of Margaret van Eyck 1439

Jan van Eyck painted this portrait of his wife, Margaret, in Bruges using oil on panel. The material qualities here are key. Oil paint allowed van Eyck to build up layers of translucent color, creating a luminous, almost enameled surface. Look closely, and you can see the incredible detail. The crisp linen of her headdress, the folds of her woolen dress, each conveys texture with astonishing realism. This wasn't just about showing off skill; it was about value. The fabrics that Margaret wears – linen, wool – were the engine of the Flemish economy. Bruges was a center of textile production, and its wealth was built on the labor of spinners, weavers, and dyers. By depicting Margaret clothed in these materials, van Eyck wasn't just painting a portrait, he was subtly celebrating the source of his city's prosperity, and his wife's participation in it. The making of this painting, and the making of Bruges, were deeply intertwined.