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Theodoor van Thulden (attributed to), Triumphal Arch of Philip IV,
facade, 17th century, oil on panel, Antwerp Royal Museum of Fine
Arts.
This work is a copy of a lost Rubens sketch of the Triumphal Arch of
Philip IV, on the occasion of the State Entry of Cardinal-Infante
Ferdinand of Austria (1635). For the new governor’s state entry into
Antwerp, the city was decorated with temporary triumphal arches
designed by Rubens. The Triumphal Arch of Philip IV, a homage to the
Spanish king, was erected at the end of the Huidevettersstraat. Theodoor
van Thulden (1606-1669) took part in the work preparing the
festive decorations for the State Entry and based his engravings on
these compositions.
The Triumphal Arch, a wooden construction about 21 meters high,
glorified the Habsburg dynasty and illustrated how the Netherlands
came to be ruled by King Philip IV, the brother of the Cardinal-
Infante. The arch had three passageways, separated by columns and
pilasters set on high bases. The large tableau above the central passageway
portrays the marriage of Maximilian of Austria and Maria of
Burgundy, daughter and heir of Charles the Bold. As a result of this
marriage, the Netherlands passed to the Habsburgs. The group of
figures crowning the whole – the supreme Roman god Jupiter with his
wife Juno – emphasises the historical importance of this marriage.
Around the central arch are depicted the six Habsburg rulers over the
Netherlands, and at the top, the ancestors of Philip IV: Emperor
Maximilian 1, Philip the Handsome, Philip II and Emperor Charles
V; below the Emperors stand Philip III and Philip IV. The wedding
scene and the six portraits were all separate paintings placed in the
wooden triumphal arch. The historical piece was painted by Jacob
Jordaens, and the six portraits by Cornelis de Vos. The wedding scene
(10)