Jan van Eyck was "one of the greatest and most influential Flemish painters of altarpieces and portraits of the 1400"s" Hayes. van Eyck"s paintings often include objects with hidden symbolic meaning. There are several different interpretations of the symbolic meaning concerning his portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and his second bride often referred to as "The Arnolfini Marriage". Marriage is a sacred union between man and woman. A wedding is one of the most important events in a woman's life. Often a wedding occurs in the present of the wedding party, family members and friends. During the 1400's a wedding...
interpreted by some historians as an indication that he served as a witness" Pioch.

If the "Arnolfini's Marriage" had taken place during the 1900's it would have been very easy for an artist to include every single detail of the wedding. Because the wedding took place during the 1400's, all we can do is assume or use our best judgment to interpret the true meaning of each symbol in the portrait. We can all at least agree van Eyck was the artist that painted this portrait. Then again some historians say his brother Hubert was the artist. Kren