Léal Souvenir

The man sits before an imitation parapet with three sets of painted inscriptions, each rendered to look as if chiselled or scratched into stone. Van Eyck did not have full command of either classical Greek or Latin and made errors, so readings by modern scholars vary. The first inscription is in Greek and appears to read "TYΜ.ωΘΕΟϹ", which has not been satisfactorily interpreted, though it has led some to title the work 'Timotheus'. The middle reads in French "Leal Souvenir" ("Loyal Memory") and indicates that the portrait is a posthumous commemoration. The third records van Eyck's signature and the date of execution. The 19th-century art historian Hippolyte Fierens-Gevaert identified the lettering "TYΜ.ωΘΕΟC" with the Greek musician Timotheus of Miletus. Panofsky drew the same conclusion, eliminating other Greeks bearing the name Timothy; they were of a religious or military background, professions that do not match the sitter's civilian dress. Panofsky believed the man was probably a highly placed musician in Philip's court, possibly Gilles Binchois.

More recent research focuses on the legalese in one of the inscriptions, suggesting to some that he was connected to the legal profession or an employee of Philip the Good. The panel was acquired in 1857 by the National Gallery, London, where it is on permanent display.