Did you notice it? This tiny character in the red turban located in the background would, in all likelihood, be a discreet self-portrait of Van Eyck. And these scenes from the Old Testament painted on the capitals of the pilasters, had you even seen them? Unless your attention is naturally drawn to these sculpted rabbits crushed at the foot of the marble columns, a terrible expression of divine punishment on the pleasures of the flesh. You know, the devil sometimes hides in the details... The Louvre has understood this well and is sifting through one of the most beautiful jewels of its collection by revealing the best kept secrets of the famous Virgin to Chancellor Rolin, freshly restored. A timely makeover for this old lady who had not undergone any restoration since her entry into the Louvre in 1800.

Once free of layers of oxidized varnish, the most visited museum in the world is now ready to unravel the mysteries of the one and only Van Eyck painting kept within its walls. Under its brocade robes embroidered with gold and silver, what does the canvas say about lust, vanity, original sin and eternal salvation? What does the magpie on the balustrade symbolize if not death and the peacock immortality? Which cities gave birth to this heavenly Jerusalem? What does the impassive face of the sponsor kneeling in front of the engulfed Virgin hide under a thick red cloak decorated with precious stones? So many questions once left unanswered.

Fortunately, this flamboyant exhibition lifts the veil on this absolute masterpiece of art history thanks to the historic gathering of around sixty painted panels, manuscripts, drawings and bas-reliefs compared with the divine work of the Flemish master. Certain details will unfortunately remain invisible to the naked eye such as this repentance of Van Eyck who had initially established a game of gaze between the Child and Rolin before backtracking at the request of the Duke of Burgundy or this drawing revealed with infrared of a large purse hanging from the chancellor's belt, a symbol of wealth or avarice which would not have been appropriate in such a masterpiece of religious piety.

Did you know?
When Van Eyck was the object of all desire... His mythical Mystical Lamb was stolen seven times in the space of 600 years. Among the kidnappers, we find the French army at the end of the 18th century, the sacristan of a cathedral and the dictator Adolf Hitler.