This week Noah Charney wrote an article in the Guardian about the restoration of the fabulous Ghent altarpiece, begun in 1426 by Hubert van Eyck and completed after his death by his famous brother Jan.
One-third of the altarpiece has already been carefully restored, and St. Bavo’s Cathedral in Ghent has created a web project where the work may be seen both open (with panels depicting Christ, Mary, John the Baptist, Adam, and Eve); and closed (with an Annunciation scene, and portraits of the donors). You can zoom in so close to the painting, as Charney writes, that you can see details right down to Adam’s nostril hairs.
Detail of the Ghent Altarpiece before, left, and after restoration. Composite: KIK-IRPA/Lukas Art. Image via the Guardian.
