MEULEN, Adam Frans van der

This painting, like its companion-piece, the Cavalry Engagement, also in the Hermitage, depicts an imaginary battle, not corresponding to any historical event.

This painting, like its companion-piece, the Battle, also in the Hermitage, depicts an imaginary battle, not corresponding to any historical event.

The Château de Versailles, a 17th-century palace built by Louis XIV, was the principal residence of the kings of France and the seat of the government for more than 100 years. The first scenes of the French Revolution were also enacted at the palace, whose gardens, the masterpiece of Andr� Le N�tre, have become part of the national heritage of France and one of the most visited historic sites in Europe. Although it was a place of entertainment, the grandiose palace was also well equipped as a centre of government. Of about 20,000 persons attached to the court, some 1,000 courtiers with 4,000 attendants lived in the palace itself. About 14,000 soldiers and servants were quartered in annexes and in the town, which was founded in 1671 and had 30,000 inhabitants when Louis XIV died in 1715.

The palace of Versailles led to the French court style in interior decoration and furnishings. Versailles was intended to be the outward and visible expression of the glory of France, and of Louis XIV, then Europe’s most powerful monarch. His finance minister, Colbert, set up a manufactory that made works of art of all kinds, from furniture to jewellery, for interior decoration. A large export trade took French styles to almost every corner of Europe, made France a centre for luxuries, and gave to Paris an influence that has lasted till the present day. The vast initial cost of Versailles has been more than recouped since its completion. Even Louis XIV’s most violent enemies imitated the decoration of his palace at Versailles. In 1667 Charles Le Brun was appointed director of the Gobelins factory, which had been bought by the King, and Le Brun himself prepared designs for various objects, from the painted ceilings of the Galerie des Glaces (Hall of Mirrors) at Versailles to the metal hardware for a door lock.

The artist accompanied Louis XIV in several campaigns, and recorded the military acts of the French Army. This painting depicts an episode from the war of Holland, occurring on 12 June 1672.

Van Meulen accompanied Louis XIV on his military campaigns, during which he made sketches from life and then used to elaborate compositions in his studio. This canvas relates the taking of the town of Maastricht on 30 June 1673. It is one of a series of fourteen paintings the artist executed for the central pavilion of the château of Marly.

On the death of Philip IV of Spain, Louis XIV claimed the Low Countries and the Franche-Comt� in the name of his wife Marie-Th�r�se. This policy of conquest led the king to the gates of Tournai in 1667 during the so-called War of Devolution. The city, badly protected by the old 13th century town wall, could offer little resistance. It was besieged on 21 June 1667, capitulated on the 23rd, and the king made a triumphal entry on the 25th. The treaty of Aachen, on 2 May 1668, marked its attachment to France.

Here the artist has depicted, not the siege of the city, but the setting up of the camp with, in the middle ground, the deployment of the troops and, in the background, the city, recognisable by its superb cathedral. Camp life is described by a multitude of picturesque details, admirably painted and treated with vigour. The group of unsaddled horses to the left, a type of depiction in which Van der Meulen excelled, is particularly successful. A few touches of red, blue and yellow enliven the ensemble. Groups of trees carry the eye to the brightly-lit plain where the musketeers are parading in blue uniforms and the light cavalry of the guard in red. In the background Tournai, seen from the north-east, spreads out its monuments behind its medieval walls. To the left of the cathedral we make out the imposing St Martin’s Abbey with its narrow spire and the massive tower of St Brice. On the other side of the five belfries and above the Romanesque nave, we glimpse the tower of the now demolished St Nicaise’s Church. Preparatory drawings were done by the artist in situ during his journey in 1667, following the French troops.

After joining Charles Le Brun at the Manufacture des Gobelins in 1664, Van der Meulen was commissioned with drawing the views of the cities conquered by the king. The Brussels painting belongs to the first series of the King’s Conquests, painted for the Royal Pavilion in Marly and placed in 1684, covering the various campaigns in Flanders, Franche-Comt� and Holland. Designed as decoration, this series is remarkable for its variety and for its painting quality. Whilst the Brussels artist took French nationality in 1673, he never, in his art, denied his Flemish origins. Here he imparts a new dimension to the painting of battle scenes, achieving the right balance between military scenes, topographical descriptions and landscapes.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 12 minutes):

Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber: The Battle, suite

The historical event depicted here took place on 18 April 1677. At the request of King Louis XIV Adam Frans van der Meulen, Le N�tre and Charles Le Brun were all present at the surrender of Cambrai and eyewitness accounts demonstrate that Van der Meulen’s painting has remained faithful to historical events.

The Château de Joux overhangs the major international road and trade route that has connected Italy to the Jura, Burgundy, Flanders and Champagne regions since the days of the Roman Empire. Symbol of a thousand years of evolution in the history of fortification, the Château de Joux has witnessed the great European conflicts: the passage of Charles the Bold in 1476, occupation during the 30 Years War in 1639, and surrender during the French conquest of Franche-Comt� in 1674.

The battle depicted in the painting was fought by Jacques-Henri de Durfort, the Duc de Duras (1625-1704), marshal of France, who is thought to be identifiable with the man on horseback in the red coat in the front left. He played a major part in the conquest of Franche-Comt�, and was named by Louis XIV governor of that province and marshal in 1675.