Tríptico de Dresden

Small enough to carry on a journey, this hinged altarpiece opens like a jewel box onto a whole church interior. Jan van Eyck signed it with his motto: As I Can.

The story behind the painting

The Dresden Triptych is the only surviving triptych attributed to Jan van Eyck. It is signed and dated 1437, and it is the only work by him that is not a portrait to carry his motto, ALC IXH XAN, As I Can. The inscription, found when the frame was removed during a mid-twentieth-century restoration and confirmed in 1959, reads in Latin that Jan van Eyck made and completed it. Damaged coats of arms suggest the donor belonged to the Giustiniani of Genoa. The triptych later passed through the Gonzaga collection, Charles I of England and the banker Eberhard Jabach, reaching the Elector of Saxony. It is now in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden.

What to look for

Closed, the outer wings show the Annunciation in grisaille, near-monochrome figures of Gabriel and Mary that look like sculpture. Open it, and colour floods in. In the centre, Mary sits in a church interior holding the Christ Child on her lap. On the left wing, the Archangel Michael presents a kneeling donor; on the right, Saint Catherine of Alexandria stands reading a prayer book. Painted bronze frames, inscribed mostly in Latin, surround the panels. A note on size: Wikidata gives 27.5 by 37.5 centimetres, while the source gives 33 by 27.5 centimetres including the frames. At this miniature scale every detail of arches, windows and carpet rewards close looking.

Meaning and intent

The triptych was probably made for private devotion, perhaps as a portable altar for travel or pilgrimage. Its three inner panels form a sacra conversazione, in which a patron saint presents a kneeling donor to the enthroned Mother of God. The rich Latin texts on the frames, drawn from biblical descriptions of the assumption and prayers to Michael and Catherine, suggest an educated, cultured owner. John Ward has argued that Van Eyck's symbolism highlighted the coexistence of the spiritual and material worlds. The painting's dark green canopy, heavily folded dress and geometric carpet also link it to his Lucca Madonna of about 1436.

Legacy

Because it is firmly signed and dated, the triptych is used as a touchstone for dating Van Eyck's other works, by comparing details like stained glass, mouldings and his handling of perspective. Its history of attribution is striking: a 1754 Dresden inventory gave it to Albrecht Dürer, until Aloys Hirt identified it as a Van Eyck in 1830; catalogues then named Hubert before settling on Jan. The source notes it marks an advance in his handling of depth and established elements of Marian imagery that became widespread later in the century. Elisabeth Dhanens called it the most charming, delicate and appealing work by Van Eyck to survive.