3dRose Portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and His Wife by Jan Van Eyck - Greeting Cards, 6 x 6 inches, set of 6 (gc_127150_1)

the Arnolfini portrait was painted in 1434 by Jan van Eyck and has baffled art historians ever since. It has been dissected and analysed maybe more than any other painting in history.   And in the process, become even more mysterious.  The Arnolfinis were part of the new middle classes,   trying desperately to fit in. But no matter how much money they had, or how many possessions   they owned, ultimately they were trapped in the social class that society placed them in. During the Medieval period, a rapid expansion in trade and commerce, led to the rise of a new class. The incredibly wealthy and powerful merchant class. Bruges in the 15th century was the hub of   international trade, and people came from all over the world wanting to get rich, including the Arnolfinis,    from Lucca in Italy. As those merchants became richer, their appetite for social status grew. Consumerism w