Portrait of Cardinal Albergati

Jan van Eyck executed this portrait of Cardinal Niccolò Albergati around 1431, working from a preparatory silverpoint drawing he made during a peace conference in Arras in 1435. On that drawing, now in Dresden, van Eyck noted specific color details to guide the finished painting. He changed several features from the sketch, adjusting the shoulders, nose, mouth, and especially the ear to strengthen the impression of authority and seniority.

The small panel measures only 27.5 by 34 centimeters, nearly the same size as the preparatory drawing. Van Eyck transferred his refined illumination technique to panel painting at larger scales, though this work demonstrates his mastery at intimate dimensions. Cardinal Albergati served as papal ambassador and negotiator during various European conflicts.

The painting hangs at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. While van Eyck didn't invent oil painting as art-historical myth once claimed, he did perfect techniques that made Early Netherlandish painting influential throughout Europe.