In 1716, the Viscounty of the Oudburg in Ghent commissioned a series of tapestries devoted to the Exaltation of the Gods. The Viscounty was a fief of the County of Flanders, located within the walls of the Counts’ Castle. Barely a year later, the tapestries were hung in the Castellany. The Oudburg arms appears in the middle of each tapestry. Oudburg College was closed down during the period of French revolutionary occupation and the Viscounty building was demolished. The series ended up in the Museum of Fine Art in 1904, having had several homes in the interim. The first tapestry shows The Exaltation of Mars. The God of War’s triumphal chariot is drawn by two lions – symbols of violent conflict. A cherub rides on one of the lions, holding up a laurel crown on a stick as an emblem of the conqueror. The other lion is led by the winged figure of Fortune, with a wheel – symbol of the inconstancy of fate – under her arm. Soldiers follow the chariot, escorting a procession of prisoners of war and captured booty. Another winged figure, the Spirit of Victory, holds the laurel wreath above Mars’ head, while Fame flies before him, trumpeting his glory. The burning city in the background represents the violence of war – the destroyer of civilisation.
| Artist |
Urbanus Leyniers
RKD
|
|---|---|
|
Daniël II Leyniers
RKD
|
|
|
Hendrik Reydams
|
|
|
Jan van Orley
RKD
Wikidata
|
|
|
Aurèle Augustin Coppens
|
|
| Title | The Glorification of Mars |
| Date | 1717 |
| Period | 18th century |
| Location | Brussels TGN |
| Collection | decorative arts (discipline) AAT |
| Object type | tapestries AAT |
| Inventory number | 1994-F-1 |
| Acquisition credit |
transfer
Stadhuis Ghent 1994 |
| Permalink | https://mskgent.be/collection/work/data/1994-F-1 |
| IIIF Manifest | https://imagehub.mskgent.be/iiif/3/3956/manifest.json |
| Art & Architecture Thesaurus | 300417629 mythologies (religious concept) AAT |
|---|---|
| Keywords Iconclass |
25F
animals
Iconclass
25F2 mammals Iconclass 25F23(LION) beasts of prey, predatory animals: lion Iconclass 300417629 mythologies (religious concept) AAT 43A421 chariot, triumphal car Iconclass 44G3121 prisoner with hands bound Iconclass 45A10 symbols, allegories of war; 'Guerra' (Ripa) Iconclass 45B51 military parade, pageant Iconclass 45C14(LANCE) helved weapons, polearms (for striking, hacking, thrusting): lance Iconclass 45D313 private soldier Iconclass 46C13141 horse Iconclass 46C144 four-wheeled, animal-drawn vehicle, e.g.: cab, carriage, coach Iconclass 48C73512 clarinet, bassoon, oboe, shawm Iconclass 92 gods ~ classical mythology Iconclass 92B the great gods of Heaven, and their train Iconclass 92B4 (story of) Mars (Ares) Iconclass 92D1916 cupids: 'amores', 'amoretti', 'putti' Iconclass 96A5(FORTUNA) Fortuna as Roman personification Iconclass |
| School / Style | Rococo AAT |
| 'Tapijtwerkers en tapijtwerk te Gent', in: Duizend jaar kunst en cultuur / Erik Duverger. - Gent : [s.n.] : [s.a.] (dl. III, p. 550-557) |
| 'De triomf van Mars, een Brussels wandtapijt in de Koninklijke Musea voor Kunst / Ingrid De Meûter. - Brussel : [s.n.] : [s.a.] (p. 123-137) |
| 200 jaar verzamelen : Collectieboek Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent / Arnout Balis, Robert Hoozee, Maximiliaan P.J. Martens, Paul Van Haute. - Gent : Ludion, 2000 (p. 110 (ill. 52), 270) |
| Het Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent : een keuze uit de mooiste werken / Patrick De Rynck. - Gent : Ludion, 2007 (p. 54-55) |
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Do you have any suggestions, questions or information about this work? Write us, collectie.msk@stad.gent |
