Flemish primitives aren’t easy to love at first. They’re precise, a bit cold, overly devotional, and stiff compared to the warmth of, say, an Italian Renaissance fresco.
But once you’re standing in front of a Van Eyck in person? Something clicks.
The detail is insane. The textures, the symbolism, the weird little faces. It’s almost hypnotic.
There’s also something about seeing it in situ that makes a difference. You start to see the craft and the intellect behind it all: the layered glazes, the microscopic textiles, the eerie stillness.
The exquisite Ghent Altarpiece is essentially the gateway drug to the era of Flemish Primitives. It’s on display at St. Bavo Cathedral in Ghent and is the most famous painting of the Northern Renaissance.
I didn’t even expect to like it that much. But surprise, surprise, I did. A lot.
No reproduction, no matter how high-resolution, prepares you for it. The sheer luminosity, the precision of every leaf, jewel, and hair, or the unsettling intensity of those gazes.
It’s not just technically brilliant. It’s visually stimulating and beautiful in the best way. Intimate attention is given to both earthly and divine beauty.
In this guide to the Ghent Altarpiece, I give you an overview of its history and tell you what all the fuss is about. Should you see it? Yes, definitely if you are in Ghent.
Was It The First Oil Painting?
Oil painting existed before Van Eyck in Western Europe. But it was usually used for underpainting or for minor decorative work.
Most high-end panel painting was done in egg tempera, which is quick-drying, matte, and less flexible.
Some earlier artists mixed oils into tempera (called tempera grassa). But they didn’t exploit oil’s full potential for layering and luminosity.
What Van Eyck did was revolutionary. He showed how oil paint could replace tempera entirely. And achieve rich color, detail, light effects, and realism that tempera couldn’t.
The Ghent Altarpiece was the first major altarpiece to use oil paint as the primary medium, on a grand scale, and with such technical perfection.
Van Eyck’s technique spread rapidly, with artists across Europe abandoning tempera in favor of oil. The altarpiece was thus the first great painting that changed everything.
Is It The World’s Most Stolen Painting?
Did you know? The Ghent Altarpiece, also called The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, is the most frequently stolen artwork in Western history.
Over the centuries, it’s been looted, hidden, damaged, sold, smuggled, and nearly destroyed more times than any other painting. Its backstory reads like a multi-part thriller. Compared to this, the Mona Lisa barely has drama.
During the Protestant Reformation, the altarpiece narrowly escaped destruction when iconoclasts targeted Catholic imagery. It was hidden in a cathedral tower to keep it safe.
In 1794, French troops stole several panels and carted them off to the Louvre. After Napoleon’s defeat, they were eventually returned to Ghent.
In the 19th century, a church custodian sold off some panels—namely Adam and Eve—to Germany. That sale created a long-running ownership dispute.
Then came World War I. Germany legally held some of those panels.
But after the war, the Treaty of Versailles demanded their return as part of reparations. Many Germans saw this as an injustice, which only added fuel to the fire during World War II.
In 1934, the lower left panel—The Just Judges—was stolen from St. Bavo’s. The rest of the altarpiece was left untouched, pointing to a targeted theft rather than random looting.
The heist left behind little evidence. Some suspect the thieves had inside knowledge of the cathedral’s layout and security. No alarms were triggered, and the crime wasn’t discovered until the next morning.
Despite extensive investigations, the panel has never been recovered. A replica sits in its place today. It remains one of the greatest unsolved art thefts in history.
Some believe it’s still hidden somewhere in Belgium. Others think it was destroyed during World War II. Or that it ended up in a private collection.
During the war, the rest of the altarpiece became a target of Nazi looting. Hitler coveted it as a potent symbol of the supremacy of Germanic art. His agents intercepted the panels en route to the Vatican and hid them in Neuschwanstein Castle, and later in an Austrian salt mine.
At the end of the war, the Monuments Men tracked it down and returned it to St. Bavo. It remains there today minus the missing panel.
What Is The Ghent Altarpiece: A Description
The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb has been called the most influential painting in art history.
As I mentioned, it was one of the world’s first oil paintings and the first to portray the unidealized realism of the everyday world. The medieval stiffness is largely gone, giving way to Renaissance humanism.
Hubert van Eyck began the altarpiece. After he died, his more famous brother Jan finished it off in 1432. Both painters worked in a studio with students, and so support probably came from other painters too.
The Mystic Lamb is the first artwork signed by Jan and is considered the first example of Flemish Primitivism.
General Details
The work is monumental in size, requiring its own dedicated chapel. The painting is 15 feet wide and 11 feet tall.
There are a dozen separate panels. They depict hundreds of figures and weigh more than a ton.
You’ll be in awe of its scale, complex symbolism, and rich details. The lower panels have been fully restored.
The upper panels are getting the same treatment. You can see the restorers in action at the Museum of Fine Arts Ghent on the outskirts of the city.
Scholars have mulled over the meaning of the symbols and casts of saints. But it all seems to come down to the venerated lamb at the center of the work, who looks a bit humanoid.
The lamb is positioned in a vertical line descending from heaven. John the Baptist is there, pointing his know-it-all finger as usual.
It was John who said, as he proclaimed the arrival of God on earth, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”
This central scene depicts a liturgy attended by different groups of people in a landscape rich in religious symbolism. In the middle is a white lamb on an altar, with a breast wound gushing blood.
The level of detail is breathtaking. There are dozens of species of plants, flowers, and birds. All the lush details were intended to convey the message that God is found in the beautify of everyday things.
Now, let’s break down the panels.
Upper Panels
In the upper panels, God (or Christ, experts aren’t sure) presides in a red robe and crown. He raises his hand in a solemn blessing.
He’s flanked by Mary in her traditional blue and John in a green robe. They all wear incredible jewels.
From either side, God is serenaded by a slew of musical angels, each with unique faces.
The outermost panels depict Adam and Eve. They may be the first Renaissance nudes painted in Northern Europe. Notice the fig leaves, a first.
Eve still has the big belly that was in vogue at the time. Adam steps bolding forward. His toe breaks the plane of his panel, a revolutionary example of Italian-inspired perspective.
You can even see the hair on Adam’s leg. Extraordinary!
Lower Panels
The main scene across the lower panels plays out in five distinct niches. At its center is Christ depicted as the sacrificial lamb, offering redemption to humanity.
Worshippers from all corners of the world have gathered in a symbolic Jerusalem to honor the lamb. Overhead, a dove hovers, sending down radiant beams of divine light.
Angels kneel at the altar, surrounded by a solemn procession of Old Testament prophets, popes, cardinals, and abbots.
The side panels show even more pilgrims arriving to pay homage. On the right, hermits and wanderers are led by St. Christopher. On the left stand knights and judges.
One panel, The Just Judges, depicted the latter group. It was famously stolen in 1934 and never recovered. Some believe it included self-portraits of the artists, Hubert and Jan van Eyck.
Exterior Panels
Don’t forget to walk around to the back of the altarpiece. These panels are painted in grisaille, monochrome tones that mimic the look of sculpture.
Originally, the hinged wings were kept closed. The full masterpiece was only revealed on special feast days.
The upper panels show the Annunciation, as the angel Gabriel tells Mary she will bear God’s child. Prophets and sibyls flank the scene, bearing witness. Through the arched windows behind them, you catch a glimpse of medieval Ghent.
Below, the closed panels form a kind of devotional tableau. The donors are shown alongside sacred figures.
Saints are rendered in grisaille. The patrons in full color. The contrast creates a striking sense of depth and hierarchy.
Tips For Visiting The Ghent Altarpiece
Address: Sint-Baafsplein, 9000 Ghent, Belgium. The painting is in the back of the cathedral in the left transcept.
Hours:
Cathedral (General Access):
- Monday – Saturday: 08:30 am – 5:30 pm
- Sunday: 1:00 pm – 5:30 pm
Ghent Altarpiece (Mystic Lamb) & Visitor Centre:
- Monday – Saturday: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Sunday: 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Note: The last admission is 30 minutes before closing time.
Tickets:
The cathedral is free to visit. But you can only go back and see the Mystic Lamb with a pre-booked ticket. There’s also a Rubens painting to admire.
Pro Tips:
You’ll need to check your backpack in the free lockers.
You’ll need the audio guide because there’s no signage. I found it a bit hard to use. If I pressed it too close to my ear, it re-started at the beginning.
Be respectful about taking photos. A lot of people are trying to cast their eyes on this masterpiece.
The altarpiece is at ground level and so you’re able to get close. No binoculars needed.
I hope you’ve enjoyed my guide to the Ghent Altarpiece. Pin it for later.
