Course Readings: Web Gallery

The Madonna of Canon van der Paele, St. Donatian, Bruges, Netherlands (1436) by Jan van Eyck

Joris van der Paele, the wealthy canon of Saint Donatian's Cathedral in Bruges, commissioned this painting to hang in the chapel he had recently endowed.

In this piece, Mary sits on a throne in the middle of the composition. This device allows van Eyck to put her head on the same level as the other characters, even though she is farther away from the viewer and sitting. She holds a small bouquet in her hand while Christ plays with a parrot. The canon kneels to the right of Mary. An old man, he holds a prayer-book and his glasses in his hands. Saint George, the canon's namesake (George=Joris), stands in armor on the far right. Holding his traditional cart-wheel with candles, Saint Donatian surveys the scene from the left.