Attributed to SEBASTIAN VRANCX, early 17th century.

Attributed to SEBASTIAN VRANCX, early 17th century.
"The entry of Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand of Spain in Antwerp on April 17, 1635".
Oil on panel. Cradled.
Measurements: 62 x 111 cm; 87.5 x 138 cm (frame).
This work follows the model painted by the Flemish artist Pieter Meulener (1602-1654). In 1633, the cardinal-infante Don Fernando of Austria, brother of Philip IV, was appointed governor of the Netherlands. Before taking office, he achieved a significant military victory against the French at the Battle of Nordlingen on September 6, 1634, together with the imperial troops. On November 4 of the same year, he made his triumphal entry into Brussels, continuing the tradition of the Joyeuses Entrées, which were solemn ceremonies for the arrival of prominent personages in the cities of the Netherlands. During these celebrations, festivities were organized and elaborate ephemeral structures were built along the route. In this context, already as governor, in 1635, he would carry out his joyeuse entrée in Antwerp. This was organized by important figures of the city, such as Nicolaes Rockox, the burgomaster, Jean Gaspard Gevaerts, a notable humanist, and the famous painter Peter Paul Rubens. The entrance included the construction of five triumphal arches, four stages and an ephemeral portico of historical and allegorical character, adorned with Latin inscriptions and designed in baroque style.

Sebastian Vrancx was undoubtedly the driving force behind the painting of battles in Flanders; especially relevant is the representation of cavalry battles, being one of the first painters to deal with them. Sebastian Vrancx was a Flemish Baroque painter, specialized in the representation of battles. All his artistic activity was developed in Antwerp, except for a few years of his youth (1596-1601) when he settled in Italy. The theme of his works is varied, including landscapes, religious scenes, allegorical, etc.. However, the genre for which he is best known is the representation of battles. These paintings sometimes represent specific historical events, but they are generally imagined scenes of confrontations between armies in which great attention is paid to detail. He was the initiator of this genre in the Netherlands and the first to depict cavalry battles.