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Ghent Altarpiece


The Ghent Altarpiece: The Adoration of the Lamb
(interior view) painted 1432.

The Ghent Altarpiece (completed 1432) is a very large and complex polyptych in a chapel at St. Bavo's Cathedral, Ghent, Belgium. It was executed by Hubert and Jan van Eyck.

The altarpiece consists of two rows of many panels, most of which painted on both sides. The upper row on the front shows Christ the King flanked by the Virgin Mary and St John the Baptist. The insides of the wings represent Musician and Singing Angels, and Adam and Eve. The central part of the lower row shows the Adoration of the Lamb.

The original lower left panel The Just Judges was stolen in 1934. Until now it has never been found. The original panel has been replaced by a copy made in 1945 by Jef Vanderveken.

See also: Early Renaissance painting

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