wedding — Blog — Santa Classics

Inspired by Pieter Bruegel the Elder - The Peasant Wedding

Brueghel was well known for his peasant scenes; he was often referred to as ‘Peasant’ Breughel. Through his paintings we came to learn more about village life of the 16th century. Like so many other moralistic genre paintings this is filled with symbolistic references. Here gluttony and poverty stand out, but possibly lack of virginity. The paper crown hung over the bride is in two parts which implies she may already be with child.

Pieter’s son, Brueghel the Younger made a copy of his father’s work, and a couple mysteries appear. In the elders version, there is an additional foot under the food tray (a door off its hinges). It seems the man in the front of the tray has three feet.

Is this a joke by the painter? Clearly Brueghel the Younger, didn’t think it was funny for in his painting the third foot is eliminated altogether. Another object that went missing is a large codpiece (a leather phallus sheath, cod was slang for scrotum) on the bagpiper. The younger attached this accoutrement to the bagpiper, but Dad’s has gone missing. Through infrared photography they found that senior’s codpiece had been replaced with a black patch. This was not the first time the elder was censored. In his bawdy, The Wedding Dance, several codpieces were removed from the frolicking peasants, only to be discovered during a 1941 restoration. I guess Pieter was not the only one with scruples

See Original: https://bit.ly/3r0aLbF

Inspired by - Jan van Eyck - The Arnolfini Portrait

The verdict is still out concerning the interpretation of this painting. It is littered with iconography, which has kept researchers teetering between wedding celebration or memorial to a lost love.
The painting portrays a Bruges draper, Giovanni Arnolfini and his wife Trenta. She died in 1433 during childbirth, which was a year prior to the date signed on the painting. For this reason many people think Mrs Arnolfini is seen here in the family way. Although others think she has bunched up the dress material in her hand to show off her husband’s wears. Giovanni’s black clothing signifies a period of mourning, since black was not fashionable at this time, and definitely not for a wedding. Many of the icons found in the canvas symbolize her passing. Saint Margaret, the patron saint of the child-bearing woman, is carved on a chair in the background. The gargoyle seen next to her hand signifies her doom. The mirror, at the back of the room, is decorated with scenes from the Passion of Christ. On the woman’s side are scenes of death and resurrection, while on the man’s side are images of Christ’s life. A dog sits at their feet. In ancient Rome, dogs were carved on female tombstones, believed to guide them to the afterlife. Also, this dog is missing from the mirror, which adds to its status of a mythical character. A little spooky is the candelabra above them. The candles have all burned out except the one over the man’s head.

To see original: https://bit.ly/3JQDPKk