Liquid medium

IRR registers the carbonaceous material in a painting. Often this is the underdrawing, but sometimes it can also be the paint. In the painting Madonna with Canon Joris van der Paele, the underdrawing can be identified as a series of mostly tapered, evenly-sized lines. A darkening at the tips can sometimes be discerned. This is the formation of a droplet. Because of this, we know that Van Eyck used a brush with a liquid medium for the underdrawing. However, we do not know which liquid this might have been.

Style

Jan van Eyck had a systematic drawing style. He outlined forms in a single fluid movement. Next, he used tightly-knit hatching to indicate shade. Sometimes this hatching follows the shape in question, thereby emphasising its three-dimensionality. Van Eyck reworked his composition several times. You can see this from the various lines and areas of hatching that have been drawn on top of each other.

Depth effect

Jan van Eyck did not follow the rules of linear perspective. Thanks to his accurate powers of observation, however, he succeeded in creating a form of perspective that approximates the aforementioned concept. The lines on the tiled floor recede at an angle, with the distance between them growing steadily smaller. From the underdrawing, we can conclude that he probably used a ruler for this task.

Composition

In the underdrawing, it is striking that the lines of the architecture never intersect the figures. Did Van Eyck draw the figures first, only afterwards adding the architecture? The entire painting was probably worked out in advance through a series of preparatory drawings, none of which have been preserved. Van Eyck was a genius, but even he needed to carefully prepare a complex composition of this kind.

Samson’s hat

Jan van Eyck constantly worked on his composition by making small alterations. These were sometimes done for aesthetic reasons, and sometimes for substantive ones. For example, the underdrawing shows that Samson initially wore an eastern-style hat. Yet in the final painted version, he is shown with a luxurious mane of hair and a beard. Samson’s physical strength was derived from his hair, and it was only thanks to this that he was able to overpower the lion. It is consequently an important detail.

Flowers for Mary

Jesus gives Mary a posy of flowers. The blooms and a rose-ringed parakeet are afforded a central position in the painting. In the underdrawing, Jesus and Mary are both holding the bird. It was only later that Van Eyck added the flowers. The precise reason for this is unclear. Some believe it to be a symbolic tribute to Mary’s virtues.

Cain and Abel

The Old Testament fratricide, whereby Cain murders Abel, is of great significance for this painting. It symbolises the entry of evil into the world, which was ushered in by the Fall of Man. Van Eyck first drew Cain pinning his brother down by the shoulder as he smashes his head with a bone. In the final painting, Cain is gripping his brother’s hair as he murders him. In this way, Van Eyck further emphasises the heinousness of this deed.

George’s foot armour

In an IRR recording, not only can you see the underdrawing, but also the changes in the paint layers. In the painting, George’s feet are clad in armour, but the IRR images reveal that they did not look like this in the initial underdrawing. Around George’s ankle, we can still see traces of a border that possibly suggest a different type of armour or footwear.

Saint Donatian’s Cross

IRR images also provide information about changes in the paint layers. The cross that Saint Donatian holds was initially positioned lower down in the underdrawing. By elevating it, the artist allows the object to tower over the assembled figures. Thus Van Eyck places even greater emphasis on the cross, which plays a crucial role in interpreting the meaning of the panel.

Brocade

The painted brocade of Saint Donatian’s cope became damaged over the years, partly due to the oxidation of the pigments. The IRR images allow us to see parts of the underdrawing in the damaged sections. In this detail, we can once again clearly make out the acanthus leaves to the right of the pleat.

‘Vanished’ inscriptions

George’s armour is decorated on the breastplate with the inscription ADONA[I], meaning ‘Lord’ in Hebrew. In the IRR recording, an inscription was also discovered on Saint George’s lower back. This cannot be deciphered fully, but contains the letters ‘VED’, ‘YEP’ or ‘VEDY’’. This cannot be clearly seen in the paint. For now, its meaning remains a mystery.

Portrait drawing

The underdrawing in this painting has been elaborated in incredible detail and is a delight to look at. However, in contrast to the other depictions, the face of Joris van der Paele is less meticulously rendered. It is possible that whilst painting, Jan van Eyck used a separate portrait study of Van der Paele as an example. Sadly, this has not been preserved. It probably would have resembled the portrait study of Cardinal Albergati, the only extant drawing of its kind by Jan van Eyck (Kupferstichkabinett, Dresden).