The elderly canon Joris van der Paele kneels in a white surplice before the Virgin and Child, presented by his name saint, George, in shining armour. Saint Donatian, patron of his church in Bruges, stands at left in rich vestments. Gravely ill, van der Paele commissioned the panel as his memorial, and van Eyck recorded every fold of his ageing face.
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The canon holds his spectacles over his prayer book. In Saint George's shield, van Eyck painted a tiny reflection of himself at his easel.
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