Ghent altarpiece lamb is restored to reveal terrifying human face

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A few years ago, the over-zealous overpainting of a Spanish fresco left Jesus looking less than saintly. Now, another restoration effort has caught the attention of the general public – and this time the painting is a lot more famous. And while the results aren't as outright horrifying as that poor Spanish Jesus, this renewed artwork is unsettling to say the least (perhaps the creator would have benefitted from our how to draw tutorial roundup?).

The Ghent Altarpiece was painted by brothers Jan and Hubert Van Eyck in the 15th century, and has become one of the most celebrated artworks of its time. Sadly, over the centuries it has become yellowed and marred by touchup efforts, leading to an ambitious four-year restoration project.

Four of the 12 panels that make up the monumental altarpiece have been reworked so far, and it's the newly unveiled central 'Adoration of the Mystic Lamb' scene that's got people talking. This was the lamb before restoration.

The mystic lamb pre-restoration

Admittedly, he's not looking his best self. Below you can see him with his war paint on and ready to hit the barnyard disco.

The restored lamb

The issue people are taking is that the lamb's face is so human-looking. It's important to note here that this isn't an error on the part of the retoucher – this is genuinely what the Van Eycks painted. The more naturalistic effort was the result of a later paintover. Here's a roundup of our favourite comments on the restoration.

In the brothers' defence, this was the 15th century and artists were still learning how to paint things realistically back then. It would almost have been more surprising if the lamb hadn't come out looking a little funky. Case in point:

If you think you could do better, or you'd like to have a go at creating your own masterpiece, then don't miss our post on oil painting tips and techniques.

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