this reads, "jan van eyck was here." while italians were developing their illusionistic art with the assistance of mathematically reasoned perspective, northern painters, led by jan van eyck, used many translucent layers of pigments in quick-drying oils to produce uniquely convincing pictorialism. among jan's most compelling portraits, this man's features may be the artist's own. they have that fixed, almost hypnotic quality that sometimes results from staring into a mirror for self-portrayal. we know that artists in the 15th century often wore such flamboyant red turbans, which is another reason for suspecting that the identity of the sitter is jan van eyck himself. the most famous european painter of his day, jan van eyck was also a diplomat, mapmaker, and chemist. enormously learned, he was concerned with latin and greek and studied hebrew mysticism. here, jan van eyck depicts the most powerful figure at the burgundian court-- chancellor rolin-- kneeling before the madonna. in such works, a saint usually presented the