The Ghent Altarpiece
Restoration and Discoveries.
St Bavo’s Cathedral is the oldest parish church in the centre of historic Ghent in Belgium. It houses the justly celebrated Ghent Altarpiece which has been undergoing restoration. That process has been a story of revelation and discovery.
The Cathedral stands on the site of 10th century and 12th century Romanesque churches. The Church of St John the Baptist was converted during the 15th and 16th centuries into this striking, imposing St Bavo’s Cathedral in classic gothic style. Later, in 1559, the church was converted into the Cathedral of the Bishops of Ghent.
The Ghent Altarpiece is one of the most famous oil paintings in the world, although it is in fact a collection of paintings bound by the same religious theme. The huge artwork is called a polyptych. The term means an artwork made of multiple, hinged panels. The altarpiece is known not only for its beauty but for being the most frequently stolen artwork in the world. It is miraculous that it has survived with only one panel being replaced due to theft.
The Ghent Altarpiece is a large, double-sided polyptych that consists of 12 individual panels when opened. The altarpiece was designed with 8 folding panels which, when closed show paintings of the Annunciation, prophets, and donor portraits as was customary at the time. When opened the central panels feature God, the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist, musical angels and Adam and Eve. The lower level shows The Mystic Lamb, which presented the skilled restoration team with a huge discovery.
Completed in 1432 this outstanding work is the most famous piece by the Van Eyck brothers. It has been restored and artistically tampered with many times over the centuries. And it has been undergoing thorough and thoughtful restoration and conservation work for many years.
Altered the Mystic Lamb
Hubert van Eyck painted part of the Ghent Altarpiece that includes the imposing Mystic Lamb. His untimely death meant that his younger brother Jan finished the work, which took a few more years. However there have been others who have had a hand in the Altarpiece. Another artist had altered the Mystic Lamb or the Lamb of God, found at the centre of the inside panel.
Cleaning the paintings has revealed vibrant colours and subtle glazes giving luminosity and depth to sumptuous fabrics and distant landscapes. It is estimated that 70% of the exterior wing panels contain overpainting and that continues even to the central characters in the interior.
During a restoration of the Ghent Altarpiece in 1951, the lamb appeared to have an extra set of ears. The extra ears had been painted in when modifications were made around 1550. Later conservationists removed more of the overpaint, revealing the lamb’s original expression with eyes which Van Eyck depicted facing forward in more human and penetrating fashion, giving the holy creature a stronger character.
The Ghent Altarpiece is restored and on display in the Cathedral. This masterpiece has been exhibited in a rather cramped space in the cathedral since 1985. A chapel in the apse of the cathedral was transformed into the new home of the Mystic Lamb and a brand-new visitors’ centre was built in the crypt of the stately cathedral.
There, with augmented reality glasses, you can travel back to the distant past in the cathedral’s crypt and witness the tumultuous history of the Ghent Altarpiece and the cathedral. Both the masterpiece and the imposing building are brought to life down to the smallest detail.
But Ghent is a beautiful city and well worth a visit at any time. Discover more by visiting here
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