Van Eyck, Jan (c.1390-1441)
Saint Barbara
1437
Oil on panel, 32 x 18.2 cm
Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp
Barbara was the daughter of a nobleman who wanted to hide her away from admirers by locking her up in a tower. To keep her calm, he allowed her to leave the tower from time to time. During one of her trips out, Barbara converted to Christianity. Her father responded furiously and handed her over to the governor, who had her tortured. But every night, her wounds were miraculously healed. In the end, Barbara’s father beheaded her with his own hands. Jan van Eyck is one of the figureheads of the Flemish Primitives in the Low Countries of the 15th and early 16th centuries. They set out to achieve realistic images with lots of details. What stands out most in this work is the precise rendering of the tower. (KMSKA)