Ghent Altarpiece, 15th-century polyptych altarpiece in Saint Bavo Cathedral, Belgium
The Ghent Altarpiece is a polyptych in Saint Bavo Cathedral in Ghent, Belgium, made of twelve oak panels painted in oil. The work measures 5.2 meters wide by 3.4 meters tall and shows different religious scenes depending on whether the wings are open or closed.
Brothers Hubert and Jan van Eyck created the work between 1420 and 1432 commissioned by merchant Jodocus Vijd and his wife Lysbette Borluut. After completion the piece remained in the cathedral but went through periods of damage, theft and restoration across the centuries.
The altarpiece takes its name from the central scene showing the Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, a subject that draws visitors into the chapel even outside regular worship hours. The Sacrament Chapel setting allows people to see how the panels were meant to function within a liturgical space rather than as isolated museum works.
The altarpiece sits in the Sacrament Chapel of the cathedral where visitors can view it up close and modern digital aids help magnify details. The chapel is accessible during cathedral opening hours and lighting changes throughout the day affect how the colors on the panels appear.
During World War II the panels were hidden in the Altaussee salt mines in Austria to protect them from destruction and looting. One panel was stolen in 1934 and has never been recovered so visitors today see a modern copy in its place.
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