AMORY: When Robert Lehman bought this painting by Petrus Christus, the seated figure wore a gold halo, which had been painted by a later, less skillful hand. Consequently, he was believed to have been a saint, and identified as Saint Eligius—the patron saint of goldsmiths. When the painting was restored to its original appearance, without a halo, scholars concluded that the figure was not Saint Eligius. Maryan Ainsworth.

AINSWORTH: He probably was a very important goldsmith of the day, and he’s shown here simply in his daily activities, sitting in his sales stall, and selling a ring to this couple who are betrothed. The subject of the painting, whether it is simply an advertisement for the goldsmith, or a vocational portrait so to speak—it’s often been suggested that that’s exactly what it is, but others have wanted to find allegorical readings here, or look for significance about good and evil. And in fact there may be some indications about the sinful nature of man. The two men in the mirror—one is holding a falcon, which is a traditional symbol of greed, and the mirror of course itself is a symbol of vanity, so it may in fact have some meaning as an opposition of a virtuous couple, who are to be married in the eyes of the church as opposed to those who lead a rather lascivious and carefree and more useless life.

AMORY: The great detail and refinement in this panel are characteristic of the best fifteenth-century Netherlandish paintings. To hear more about this, press the green play button.