visitors' guide to the presentation (PDF, 341 kB) - Koninklijk Museum ...

Antiquity, Roman conquerors were hailed during their triumphal
processions.
Guiding the chariot is Providentia Augusta, who is identified by the
inscription next to her head. Providentia stands for Providence or
Foresight and Augusta refers to the Roman emperor Augustus. She
symbolizes the foresight of the Spanish king and wears a laurel wreath
as a symbol of victory; furthermore, she is depicted with two faces,
one looking forward to the future and the other looking back to the
past. She is modelled on Prudentia (Prudence or Wisdom), one of the
Cardinal Virtues. On the ground beside her is a flaming grenade.
Behind her, on a raised platform, kneel Antverpia and Audomarum,
the city maidens of Antwerp and St. Omer; their names appear in the
inscriptions above their heads. Both wear a crown in the form of
turreted city walls. Antverpia’s crown is decorated with a wreath of
roses and she is dressed in the city colours of Antwerp, red and white.
Audomarum, wearing a yellow cloak, rests her hand on a heraldic
shield. The stance and gestures of the city maidens appear to express
their joy at the victory gained.
The personifications of Virtus (Virtue, as well as Valour and Resolve)
and Fortuna (Fortune, as well as Coincidence or Luck) stand at the
stern of the ship. They, too, are connected to the triumph: Virtus, symbolising
military power and wearing a helmet, is holding a sword and
a thunderbolt; Fortuna is the symbol of fortune, of fickle luck that is
sometimes with one and sometimes against, just as the wind that
puffs up her garment. With her hand resting on a ship’s rudder, she
likewise represents safe passage. At the foot of the trophy are three
seated prisoners of war, who represent the Hollanders and French
taken prisoner after the victories at Kallo and St. Omer.
The triumphal chariot is decorated with festoons and swirling decorations
that end in lobe-like motifs. Sea creatures, such as the dolphin
with a putto astride its back and the triton blowing his conch shell,
ride the waves and appear to be guiding the ship; the reference is to the
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