Website with unique images of Ghent Altarpiece

The urgent conservation treatment of the Ghent Altarpiece in the Saint Bavo Cathedral in Ghent was finalised in October 2010. It provided a unique opportunity to thoroughly document Van Eyck's use of materials and his painting technique, and to record the state of conservation of the masterpiece. Scientific documentation methods such as high resolution macro photography under visible and infrared light, infrared reflectography, X-radiography and dendrochronology have yielded new information on the underdrawing, the paint layer structure and numerous other material-technical aspects of the Ghent Altarpiece. 

At the initiative of The Getty Foundation, main sponsor of this research project, the results are made available to specialists and to the public through this website. The website is a collaborative project between the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage (KIK/IRPA), Lukasweb, and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB).

By the end of 2011 it will be completed with extensive results of the scientific imaging and of the dendrochronological research. You can already consult the infrared reflectogram by the Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage, and get a first glimpse of the wondrous world behind the Ghent Altarpiece.

More info: Website