Question

What traditional Flemish symbols can you identify in the piece below?
The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck. A man and pregnant woman hold hands with a dog at their feet.
a.
fertility
b.
dogs
c.
windows
d.
all of the above

Answer 1

d. all of the above

All three appear as traditional Flemish symbols in the Arnolfini Portrait — fertility (the woman’s green dress, bed/fruit), the small dog (fidelity/loyalty), and the window (light, status, connection to the outside/mercantile world).