Monday, September 18, 2006

Hubert van Eyck

Oil on wood, 350 x 461 cmCathedral of St Bavo, Ghent
Died on 18 September 1426: Hubert van Eyck, Flemish painter born before 1390.

The most famous work of Jan van Eyck is a huge altarpiece with many scenes in the city of Ghent. It is said to have been begun by Jan's elder brother Hubert, of whom little is known, and was completed by Jan in 1432. In the past, art historians, for various reasons, have sometimes cast doubt on the existence of Hubert Van Eyck. Today, however, no one still seriously claims that the elder brother of Jan, Lambert and Margareta Van Eyck never existed. He was born at Maeseyck, near Mons, though the date of his birth is unknown.

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