When the panels open, the world expands. Angels sing, Adam and Eve stand at the edges of history, and pilgrims gather around the Lamb of God in a meadow of impossible detail. Flowers bloom as if each had been painted with devotion. The altarpiece feels like a universe unfolding for worship, where every leaf and jewel belongs to salvation.

Oil on panel with layered glazes, microscopic detail, and brilliant color. The polyptych format allows closed and open states for different liturgical moments.

The lamb represents Christ’s sacrifice. The fountain signifies life. Gathered saints and pilgrims show all history drawn toward redemption.

Commissioned for a wealthy Ghent chapel, it reflects civic pride, private patronage, and late medieval devotion at its most ambitious.

It became one of Europe’s most influential altarpieces, setting a standard for oil technique and sacred realism.