Who Is the Central Image in the Ghent Altarpiece?
by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson
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Hubert (c. 1366-1426). and Jan van Eyck (c. 1390-1441; Flemish painters), Ghent Altarpiece (1432), central panel, God Almighty enthroned. Cathedral of St. Bavo, Ghent. |
The Ghent altarpiece (1432) by Hubert and Jan van Eyck, contains a striking image, wearing a
papal crown and garments, seated upon a throne, with a crown at his feet. The Latin inscriptions arching over him read:
"Here is God, most powerful because of his divine majesty and high over
all because of his sweet goodness and most generous in giving because
of his measureless bounty."
Other inscriptions read:
"King of kings and lord of lords."
"Youth without old age on his brow, joy without fear at his side."
The inscription on his sash says "Sabaut" (here used as a title, as in "Lord Sabbaoth his name").
(Latin translations provided by Dr. David S. Wilson-Okamura)
The attribution of the central figure here has
been controversial. The papal crown usually
indicates the Father, but the youthful face is typical of the Son.
Moreover, the central figure is in a triptych of the altarpiece
between the Virgin Mary on the left and St. John the Baptist on
the right pointing to him -- both figures closely related to
Jesus in iconography. Normally when God the Father is depicted,
along with him are symbols of other members of the Trinity.
For an in-depth discussion of the pros and cons of this, see
Erwin Panofsky, "The Friedsam Annunciation and the Problems of
the Ghent Altarpiece," Art Bulletin, 17, No. 4 (1935),
419-442.
After a long discussion, Panofsky concludes: "To summarize: from
the point of view of representational traditions, we may safely
continue to refer to the central figure in the 'upper triptych'
as God the Father.... From the dogmatic point of view this figure
belongs in the same class as its forerunners, its parallels, and
its Flemish derivatives: it fuses the three Persons, God the
Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost into one image which
is dogmatically equivalent to the whole Trinity."
Names and Titles of God
Copyright © 1985-2010 Ralph F. Wilson. <pastor
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