He Ministry of Culture has acquired by direct sale offer for the Prado collection the work ‘The procession of giants in Brussels on May 31, 1615’, by the Brussels painter David Noveliersfor an amount of 504,450 euros. This oil on canvas, of special artistic, anthropological and historical interest, was commissioned by theArchdukes of Austria Albert and Isabella Clara Eugeniaprominent patrons of early 17th-century Europe, whose service and support of the arts contributed to the cultural flourishing of the time.
The painting, dated 1616 and with a dimension of 118 by 237 centimetersis part of a series of eight paintings which represent the celebrations organized in 1615 in Brussels on the occasion of the procession of Our Lady of Sablónfounded by the Grand Serment (or Crossbowmen’s Guild), one of the most prestigious corporations in Brussels. The entire group was sent to Spain by the archdukes to the King Philip IIIbrother of the infanta, and in the inventory of the Alcázar of Madrid in 1636 each of the scenes is described, including the one narrated in this work: «The fourth, twelve feet long and the same height [que el cuadro anterior]in which are the four giants and four giants that were brought out at this party, and there is a figure of a very large horse covered in black and on top of it four men armed with their naked swords and in the shower covered three coats of arms.
Of the eight works, only six are preserved at the moment. Two belong to the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and, with the addition of ‘The procession of giants in Brussels on May 31, 1615’ by David Noveliers, there are now four that are in the Prado. The other three are ‘Ommegang Festivals in Brussels: procession of guilds’; ‘Ommegang festivities in Brussels: procession of Our Lady of Sablón’; and ‘Feast of Our Lady of the Forest’, all of them Denis van Alsloot.
The festivals, both popular and religious, that were organized around the procession of Our Lady of Sablon in Brussels had been losing importance since their heyday in the 16th century. However, on May 15, 1615, Archduchess Isabel Clara Eugenia (daughter of Philip II and governor of the Southern Netherlands as sovereign princess alongside her husband, Archduke Albert of Austria), participated in the annual shooting championship framed in these festivities. The infanta managed to shoot down the bird (“the parrot”) placed on the spire of the tower of Nuestra Señora de Sablón, she was proclaimed queen of the brotherhood and the festivities continued for several days, thus recovering the lost splendor.
These festivities were an opportunity for the archdukes to reaffirm their sovereignty in the Netherlands and the ties that united them to the people and, at the same time, reinforce the presence of the Spanish monarchy in this territory. To record what happened, they commissioned the eight paintings from several of their court painters, including Denijs van Alsloot and David Noveliers. Once finished, the archdukes sent the paintings to Philip III and they became part of the royal collection, being placed in the Alcázar of Madrid. Finally, the series was dispersed at the end of the 17th century.
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