The creation, development, and use of mirrors in Northern Renaissance Essay

The creation, development, and use of mirrors in Northern Renaissance Art - Essay Example r in three paintings; Jan van Eycks Arnolfini Portrait, Hans Memlings Virgin and Child and Maarten van Niewenhove, and Petrus Christus Goldsmith in His Shop. All three paintings depict mirrors and all three use the mirror to manipulate both what the viewer sees and also the role the viewer plays within the painting. The aim of this essay, therefore, is to explore in each painting how this manipulation takes place and the purposes of the artist in undertaking such a manipulation. The reflection has long fascinated man-kind, and stories such as the terrible fate of Narcissus, hopelessly in love with his own image, proliferate in ancient literature. From the earliest Greek vases there are depictions of people holding mirrors, which would have consisted of highly polished metal or stone. However, by the time of the Renaissance, glass-working had reached the level of sophistication to allow small, glass mirrors to be produced. The production of clear glass was underway in Venice by the early fifteenth century, creating mirrors which provided a clear reflection with little distortion to the facial features. It is just such mirrors, of humble proportions due to the difficulty of blowing glass large enough to make a bigger surface area, which appear in the painting which will be considered in this essay. Jan van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait, depicting Giovanni di Nicolao Arnolfini and his wife, dates from 1434. It is painted in oils on an oak panel. The painting is immediately striking for the sense of realism that it creates. This is due to two factors; light and perspective. The two figures are depicted centre-left and centre-right of the painting. The faces of both figures are illuminated by the light which streams in from a window on the left of the painting. The chiaroscuro of their clothing gives a sense of depth and richness to the material, while the feet of Arnolfini and the ceiling of the room are in darkness, framing the two figures. A pair of shoes cast