A ROOM IN BRUGES • S1 Print Print

A ROOM IN BRUGES | JAN VAN EYCK | 2021 It is 1434. You have drifted back in time to an upper room on Coopers Street in Bruges. There is no one here. There are two pairs of sandals. Perhaps the painter and his models are on a break. It’s a lovely space, with many unique things to examine. There is a fine oriental rug – costly and exotic. Strange figures carved on the velveted chairs. An ornate brass chandelier with a single candle burning. The oranges are inviting, a rare delicacy imported from the far south. You peel one, hoping no one will notice. A string of amber beads glistens. A brush, hangs from the top of the high-back chair, silent witness to the cleanliness of the chamber. Finally, a marvellous mirror with a Latin inscription on the wall above it: Jan van Eyck was here. The soft bed beckons. Falling asleep, you hear conversation and a dog barking somewhere in the house. You wonder: When will they return to A Room in Bruges?