Who painted The Arnolfini Portrait?

• A. Durer
• B. Rembrandt
• C. Jan Van Eyck
• D. Manet

Answer: (C)

The painter of The Arnolfini Portrait is Jan van Eyck, a master of early Netherlandish painting celebrated for meticulous realism and pioneering oil glazing. Painted around 1434, the work showcases van Eyck’s ability to render every texture—from the fabrics to the wood and metal—so that light seems to live on the surface. A strong clue to attribution is the signature “Johannes de Eyck fuit hic” (Jan van Eyck was here) visible in the convex mirror in the background, which directly ties the artwork to him. This kind of signature, along with the technical and stylistic hallmarks of van Eyck’s workshop, solidifies the attribution.

Albrecht Dürer is a German Renaissance artist known for sharp detail and woodcuts and engravings; Rembrandt is a 17th-century Dutch master famed for dramatic lighting and expressive portraits; and Manet is a 19th-century French painter who helped propel modern art. Their styles and eras don’t match the Arnolfini Portrait’s date, technique, or signature, so they’re not the correct attribution.