The Bruges canon Joris van der Paele commissioned this work for a place beside his grave in St Donatian’s Cathedral, where he also asked for masses to be read. His patron saint, Joris (George), commends the sick canon to Mary and Jesus. Opposite them stands St Donatian, the patron saint of the church. Van Eyck’s detailed realism and rendering of material are astonishing, as are the reflections on saint George’s armor and helmet. The church interior is possibly based on St Donatian’s Cathedral, which no longer survives.
Jan van Eyck is known for his astonishing realism – and with just reason. After the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb in Ghent, this panel is his second largest work. The closer you look, the more you will discover. The frame with its text is also original!
It is 1434. Joris van der Paele, the old man kneeling in his white surplice, is seriously ill. This Bruges-based canon of Saint Donatian’s Church has enjoyed a long career at the Vatican. He makes a gift to Saint Donation’s Church: Masses will be said, and Jan van Eyck will paint this work to hang beside Van der Paele’s grave. In this way, he will always be remembered.
The canon has removed his reading glasses – you can look through the lenses! Behind him, his patron saint, Saint George, commends him to Mary and Jesus. Look at the reflections on Saint George’s armour and helmet! Standing opposite them is Saint Donatian, the patron saint of Saint Donatian’s Church, which, incidentally, was demolished in around 1800. Note Donatian’s sublime cope in gold brocade that depicts figures of the apostles. In the centre, Mary and Jesus are seated on a throne before a brocade canopy. The oriental carpet in front of them has fringed edges.
We are in a church, and Mary is sitting where the altar would be found: the place where Jesus’ death and resurrection are relived during the Eucharist. Through this act of salvation, Christ redeemed mankind from the original sin of Adam and Eve. You can see these two figures on Mary’s throne, beneath representations of Cane and Abel, and of Samson and the lion. Scenes from the Old Testament are also depicted on the capitals of the columns.
We marvel at Van Eyck’s astonishing realism. At the same time, we are looking at the work of an intellectual believer. And at a vision. The canon sees Mary, Jesus and the two saints in his mind’s eye. Jan van Eyck’s painterly gaze has turned this scene into a world-famous masterpiece.