Jan van Eyck was a famous Flemish painter and was one of the most famous painters of the Northern European
Renaissance scene.
Life[]
Historians cannot place an exact marker on the date of van Eyck's birth and death. Most sources suggest that he was born sometime before 1395. He was born in Maesheyck, a place in Belgium, and he probably studied classic languages due to his use of the Hebrew and Greek alphabets in some of his works. He had a brother, Hubert van Eyck, who was also a well known painter at the time. Hubert collaborated with Jan for one of his most famous works, the Ghent Altarpiece, which was started by Hubert and finished by Jan. Later, Jan entered the service of Duke Phillip the Good of Burgundy, where he became court painter. Because of this, he became very well paid, which made him very wealthy. He died sometime before 9 July 1441 in Bruges and was buried in the Church of Saint Donatian, which was later destroyed in the events of the French Revolution.
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