Surely the best thing would be to check what fur was available at the time of the portrait? And what was worn by people of the status of the Arnolfinis. Sumptuary laws may be relevant here - I don't know if they had them in Holland.
Of course -- but if your options are "exactly historically correct" = ermine vs. "gives an extremely accurate look" = hare and the price difference is thousands for ermine vs. hundreds or less for hare... I was just throwing it out there for an option. I wasn't making any judgments about what the costume maker should or should not use. I do know that weasels are small animals with short thick pelts -- shorter than the fur painted in the portrait appears to be. Artistic license or some other fur?
I don't know sumptuary laws, but I do know some about the historical aspects of hunting and trapping. Large hares that turn white in the winter are (were) much more available over all of Europe than the in the respective peak times in the US.
Denise B
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