Jan Van Eyck, The Arnolfini Wedding, 1434

This is a portrait of an Italian wedding with many conspicuous and inconspicuous semiotics that have made this piece of art controversial regarding its meaning.

The mirror in the middle of the back wall is the most interesting aspect of this portrait. From where we appear to be looking at the couple, the mirror shows two people, one looking like a nurse and the other like a priest. In addition, historians say mirrors wouldn't have been made as big as the one depicted here, though the meaning behind the purpose of this enlargement is unknown.

Other semiotics include:
- The husband's blessing gesture whilst holding the wife's hand
- Clogs on the floor
- Woman next to the bed
- Woman is with child (unusual for a wedding)
- A single candle on the chandelier
- Husband dressed in black while woman wears vibrant green cloth (not traditional wedding attire)
- No fire place in the bedroom
- Window is slanted with light shining into the room

Taking all these into account, it suggests that this scenario is unlikely as well as unusual and theorists have deduced that the woman in the portrait probably died a year earlier, either during child birth or the pregnancy being a symbol of the husband turned widower's desire for offspring. His black robes depict a funeral and her green robes aren't traditional for a wedding and neither was being pregnant in 1434. His gesture with his right hand is that of a blessing normally conducted after prayer which could depict a funeral.

Another interesting notion is that the artist's signature has been made to look actually a part of this portrait; his script on the back wall looking like it's really written on as part of the decor. The writing translates as "Jan was here 1434", almost like graffiti.

Overall, the iconography and semiotics is strong in this piece and has inspired me to include similar techniques and hidden meaning within my own artwork. In the film industry, these are known as "easter eggs". They provide good marketing as it entices the audience to almost become a part of the film in discovering these "easter eggs". It also gives a sense of realism which is simply more entertaining as well as interactive. Art work could easily create the same effect.