The early art of Flanders, unlike that of Italy, does not present
itself at the Louvre, or indeed at any Gallery, in orderly sequence
from the immature groping for artistic expression to masterly
achievement. With the exception of the exquisite work of the
late-fourteenth-century miniaturists, which forms a special branch
of study, there is nothing to bridge the immense gulf that divides
Melchior Broederlam, the earliest known Flemish painter, from the
brothers Van Eyck, whose earliest known work, the wonderful Ghent
polyptych of _The Adoration of the Lamb_, is, if not quite the
starting-point, the noblest achievement of the Early Flemish school.
The invention of oil-painting, in the sense of the word as it is
applied to-day, with which the Van Eycks are credited, no doubt
contributed largely towards this amazingly sudden progress; but their
art also marks a new era in the conception of life and pictorial form.
An ardent love of truth and nature takes the place of the earlier vague
idealism. At the same time, the realism of the brothers Van Eyck and
their followers, notwithstanding its insistence on literal truth in
the representation of frequently ugly details, was kept in check by
deep sentiment, love of splendid colour, and a great sense of style in
composition. Details, even in the far-away distance, were certainly
elaborated with minute precision, but they are never unduly obtrusive,
and are invariably subordinated to the main motive.