Jan van Eyck was the leading figure of the Early Netherlandish painting school and a master of oil painting. His most famous work, the 'Ghent Altarpiece,' is the most frequently stolen artwork in history. Another masterpiece, 'The Arnolfini Portrait' (1434), is renowned for its incredible level of detail. In the background of the painting, there is a small convex mirror that reflects the entire room, including two figures standing in the doorway—one of whom is likely Van Eyck himself. Above the mirror, he signed the wall with 'Johannes de eyck fuit hic' (Jan van Eyck was here), treating the painting as a legal document of a marriage or betrothal. His ability to render textures like velvet, fur, and brass using thin glazes of oil paint set a standard for realism that wouldn't be surpassed for centuries.