Page:An Elementary History of Art.djvu/454

424 Adam on his right hand, and S. John the Baptist, S. Cecilia and Eve on his left—is all probably by the hand of Huibrecht. The bottom row represents in the centre The Adoration of the Lamb (which gives its name to the entire altar-piece), and on the wings groups of Hermits, Crusaders, Judges, journeying towards the centre; it was completed by Jan after Huibrecht's death, but was not finished, however, till 1432. Fig. 147 represents the Pilgrims (the right-hand wing nearest the centre-piece). The exterior wings are, as was the custom, in monochrome. A predella, representing Hell, has been lost. The centre portion of this grand work is still in S. Bavon at Ghent: The Adam and Eve are in the Brussels Gallery, and the rest of the wings are in the Berlin Museum.

Until quite recently the fame of Jan van Eyck (ab. 1390—1440) entirely eclipsed that of Huibrecht, and the latter's important services to the art of painting in oils were attributed to him. It is now known, however, that Jan was indebted to his brother for instruction for many years, and that he formed his style from his works. In colouring, especially in his flesh-tints, he was pre-eminently successful, and his landscapes and portraits are remarkably true to life; but he was wanting in feeling for spiritual beauty, and many of his saints are positively ugly. After the Agnus Dei, the Triumph of the Catholic Church, in the S. Trinità Museum at Madrid, and the Pala Madonna at Bruges, are his best works. The National Gallery contains three extremely fine portraits from his hand, one of which, Portraits of Jean Arnolfini and his wife, worthy of the highest praise, is a wonderful piece of execution, every detail being exquisitely finished, and the colouring and chiaroscuro equal, if not superior, to anything produced