Jan van Eyck's masterpiece in very high resolution: the Polyptych of the Mystical Lamb for all to see on the web

One of the great masterpieces of Jan van Eyck (Maaseik, c. 1390 - Bruges, 1441), the Polyptych of the Mystic Lamb, which the great Flemish artist painted between 1426 and 1432 in collaboration with his brother Hubert (Maaseik, c. 1366 - Ghent, 1426), is online with very high-resolution images. The work, on which a conservation and restoration project initiated in 2012 and conducted by restorers from KIK-IRPA, the Royal Belgian Institute for Heritage, is underway, is documented with images that photograph every single square millimeter of the work before, during and after restoration: in fact, all phases of the operation were documented using state-of-the-art photographic and scientific techniques that made it possible to obtain very high-resolution images. The extraordinary journey through van Eyck’s work is available on the Closer to van Eyck website, which can be reached at http://closertovaneyck.kikirpa.be. The conveniently navigable site is available in English and contains insights into the project and restoration, as well as van Eyck’s art.

"The new documentation of Closer to Van Eyck,“ says Deborah Marrow, director of the Getty Foundation, which, together with the Gieskes-Strijbis Foundation and the Flemish government, funded the sitek and restoration of the work, ”allows one to immerse oneself in the artists’ genius. It is a gift for the eyes and a huge source of inspiration for research." The initiative was also made possible thanks to the support of Kathedrale Kerkfabriek Sint Baafs (KKSB) in Ghent, Lukas - Art in Flanders (LAF) in Ghent, Universum Digitalis (UD) in Brussels, Visscher & Van Rijckevorsel filmproducties in Amsterdam, and the Departments of Mathematics and Electronics and Computer Science at Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Brussels.

The restoration meanwhile continues: the interior panels of the polyptych can be seen in workshops set up at the Museum of Fine Arts in Ghent, where the public can watch technicians at work, while the exterior panels have returned to the place where the polyptych is kept, the Cathedral of St. Bavon, also in Ghent. With a 12-euro ticket, both places can be visited, and also included in the ticket is a visit to Caermersklooster, the former convent where, until Nov. 26, there is an exhibition on the first four years of restoration.

Pictured is a screenshot of the site

Jan van Eyck's masterpiece in very high resolution: the Polyptych of the Mystical Lamb for all to see on the web

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