In 1934 two panels of the "Ghent Altarpiece" by van Eyck were stolen. One was later returned, the other, the so-called "Just Judges" or "Just Rulers", is still missing. Who is the Belgian King whose face now appears in the substitute panel?

lanfranco

There have been various ideas about the identity of the figures in this panel about this over the years. Since I'm not finding a good online site, I'll mention that Erwin Panofsky, in "Early Netherlandish Painting," vol. 1, p. 210, discussed the theory that "the four riders in the front rank represent the Counts of Flanders from the inception of the Burgundian dynasty: Philip the Bold, Louis de Male, John the Fearless, and Philip the Good." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Just_Judges May 29 07, 7:33 AM

Sofie

Leopold III Painted by Jef Van der Veken. This is the link to Wikipedia in Dutch. It's in the second paragraph. The English translation doesn't give all the information and is a lot shorter. http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_rechtvaardige_rechters_(paneel) May 29 07, 8:24 AM

Flem-ish

Well both of you are right in their description of the panel of the "Just Judges", only: one description is of the original, the other of the replica, and here the replica was meant. There seem to be few good English websites on this story. A recent publication by André Devries, a francophone Fleming, mentions the story of the replica. Title of the book: Flanders, a Cultural History. Landscapes of the Imagination.Published by Signal Books, Oxford. Apart from a few blatant factual errors, a very stimulating "cultural tourist guide". May 29 07, 9:01 AM