The Ghent Altarpiece: Unprecedented Masterpiece, Complex Symbol, Stolen, Forged, Rescued

We will discuss the fascinating iconography and history of an artwork some call “the world’s most coveted masterpiece,” Jan (and Hubert ?) van Eyck’s Ghent Altarpiece or Adoration of the Mystic Lamb.  The altarpiece is undoubtedly a masterpiece in terms of its unprecedented usage of oil paint to create realism, complex symbolism, and influence on later artists.  In addition, the huge altarpiece has led a fascinating and scandalous life in which it has been stolen, damaged, forged and rescued.