A middle-aged man with stubbled cheeks and slightly bloodshot eyes turns to meet our gaze beneath a towering red headdress, painted fold by fold. The direct look and the prominent motto on the original frame have long suggested that van Eyck painted himself. The headdress is not a turban but a chaperon, its hanging sash wound up over the top.
Look closer
The top of the frame bears his motto 'Als Ich Can' (As I can), a pun on his name. The bottom records that Jan van Eyck made it on 21 October 1433.
Looks like this
Compared by a vision model
