Allegory of the Second Bench of Aldermen of ‘Gedele’ | MSK Gent
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Allegory of the Second Bench of Aldermen of ‘Gedele’, 1627 - 1628

  • oil paint, canvas
  • 435 x 386 cm
  • Inv. S-75

Public Domain

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In 1627 the town council of Ghent commissioned this monumental painting by the painter Theodoor Rombouts of Antwerp. It was intended for the Alderman’s courtroom of ‘Gedele’. The Second Bench of Aldermen was similar to our present justice of the peace court and also the competent authority for the care of orphans. The figures in this allegory are a tribute to those who commissioned the work and to the city of Ghent. At the top, seated on a throne, is the Virgin of Ghent with the lion of Ghent at her feet. Next to her are five orphans and on the stairs four judges are seated on either side. They symbolise the Second Bench of Aldermen. The women in the centre symbolise the three virtues, namely Strength, who has her arm around a column, Wisdom, who is holding a magnifying glass while busily writing, and Temperance, who is pouring water into the wine. The soldiers in the left foreground are supposed to maintain order. On the right is the River Scheldt, represented by the figure of a naked man with a horn of plenty and a pitcher of water. The woman on his right, with the dragon spouting water, represents the River Lys, the second river to bring prosperity to the city of Ghent.

Artist

Theodoor Rombouts RKD
Antwerp 1597 - Antwerp 1637
painters (artists)AAT

Title Allegory of the Second Bench of Aldermen of ‘Gedele’
Date 1627 - 1628
Period 17th century
Signatures, inscriptions, and markings signatures (names) bottom right: THEODOR ROMBOVTS
Collection paintings AAT
Object type oil paintings (visual works) AAT
Inventory number S-75
Acquisition credit long-term loan
Department of Heritage Conservation and Urban Archaeology
Ghent
2007
Current whereabouts Work on display
Permalink https://mskgent.be/collection/work/data/S-75
IIIF Manifest https://imagehub.mskgent.be/iiif/3/6854/manifest.json
Art & Architecture Thesaurus 300055865 symbolism (artistic concept) AAT
300055866 allegory (artistic device) AAT
Keywords Iconclass 11F the Virgin Mary Iconclass
11HH(VIRGIN OF GHENT) female saints (VIRGIN OF GHENT) Iconclass
11S721 wisdom, 'Sapientia' ~ one of the seven gifts of the soul Iconclass
11S725 power, 'Potestas' ~ one of the seven gifts of the soul Iconclass
21D water (one of the four elements) Iconclass
25F23(LION) beasts of prey, predatory animals: lion Iconclass
25FF411 dragon Iconclass
25H213 river Iconclass
25L cities represented allegorically or symbolically Iconclass
25L0 personification of a city, town-patron(ess) Iconclass
31A the (nude) human figure; 'Corpo humano' (Ripa) Iconclass
31A236 lying figure Iconclass
31A71 male sex; man Iconclass
31A72 female sex; woman Iconclass
31AA2352 sitting on an elevation - AA - female human figure Iconclass
31D14 adult man Iconclass
31D15 adult woman Iconclass
41A422 hangings and drapery Iconclass
41A431 rugs (textiles) Iconclass
41A771 container of metal: bucket, can, canister, drum, tin, etc. Iconclass
44G law and jurisprudence Iconclass
44G121 court building Iconclass
44G13 magistracy, judges Iconclass
44G6 juridical examples; exemplary judges; 'Gerechtigkeitsbilder' Iconclass
45C221 helmet Iconclass
45D313 private soldier Iconclass
51D2 Harmony, Regularity Iconclass
54A43 Temperance, Moderation; 'Misura' (Ripa) Iconclass
61D(LYS) geographical names of countries, regions, mountains, rivers, etc. (names of cities and villages excepted) (LYS) Iconclass
61D(SCHELDT) geographical names of countries, regions, mountains, rivers, etc. (names of cities and villages excepted) (SCHELDT) Iconclass
61E(GHENT) names of cities and villages (GHENT) Iconclass
School / Style Baroque AAT
Caravaggism AAT
Voyage pittoresque de la Flandre et du Brabant / Jean-Baptiste Descamps. - Paris : Desaint, Saillant, Pissot, Durant, 1769 (p. 229)
Description des plus fameux tableaux que l'on trouve dans les Eglises et autres Edifices, dans la ville de Gand. - A Gand : Chez Pierre de Goesin, 1771 (p. 2)
Geschiedenis der Antwerpsche schilderschool / Frans Jozef Peter Van den Branden. - Antwerpen : J.-E. Buschmann, 1883 (p. 887)
Musée archéologique de la ville de Gand : Catalogue descriptif / Hermann Van Duyse. - Gand : Imprimerie F. Meyer-van Loo, 1886 (p. 44)
De chronologie der werken van Theodoor Rombouts / Domien Roggen. - [s.l.] : [s.n.], [s.a.] (p. 176, 185)
Museum van Schoone Kunsten : Catalogus ; Oude Meesters, Schilderstukken, teekeningen, plaatsneden (met geschiedkundig overzicht) / Maurice Dupuis, Georges Charles Nicolas Marie Hulin de Loo, Fritz Van Loo. - Gent : Drukkerij F. De Vos, 1938 ; Gent : Stad Gent, 1938 (p. 119-120)
Gent / Jan Dhondt, Paul De Keyser. - Antwerpen : De Sikkel, 1947 (p. 310)
Guide du Musée des Beaux-Arts de Gand, Orné de 52 reproductions de tableaux : Extrait du guide illustré de Gand / Jos. Casier. - Gand : Anc. Maison d'édition Vanderpoorten, 1949 (p. 23)
Flemish Painters : Historical Survey (1430-1830) ; Dictionary ; Bibliographies ; Volume One - Two / Reginald Howard Wilenski. - London : Faber and Faber Limited, 1960 (jg. 1, p. 634)
Caravaggio und die Niederländer / Arthur Von Schneider. - Amsterdam : B.M. Israël, 1967 (p. 108)
Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart / Ulrich Thieme, Felix Becker. - Leipzig : Verlag von Wilhelm Engelmann, 1907-1950 (dl. 28, p. 560)
La vie des peintres flamands, allemands et hollandais / Jean-Baptiste Descamps. - Genève : Minkoff Reprints, 1972
Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent : Catalogus schilderkunst ; Deel I: 14de - 18de eeuw ; Deel II: 19de - 20ste eeuw / Robert Hoozee, Johan De Smet, Bruno Fornari, Ruth Monteyne. - Gent : Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent, 2007 (dl. I, p. 144-145 (ill.))
Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent : De collectie (tentoonstelling vanaf 21 maart 2021) / Johan De Smet, Bart Ooghe, Frederica Van Dam, Lieven Van Den Abeele, Cathérine Verleysen. - Gent : Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent, 2021
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Gand : La Collection (exposition dès le 21 mars 2021) / Johan De Smet, Bart Ooghe, Frederica Van Dam, Lieven Van Den Abeele, Cathérine Verleysen. - Gand : Musée des Beaux-Arts de Gand, 2021
Theodoor Rombouts : Virtuoos van het Vlaamse Caravaggisme (tentoonstelling Gent, Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent, 21.01 - 23.04.2023) / Frederica Van Dam, Timothy De Paepe, Wayne E. Franits, Astrid Harth, Liesbeth M. Helmus, Joost Vander Auwera, Gert Jan Van der Sman. - Gent : Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent, 2023 ; Gent : Uitgeverij Snoeck, 2023 (p.6; p.10; pp.97-99; p.113;p.116; p.119; p.120; pp.196-197; p.243; p.246)
Theodoor Rombouts : Virtuoso of Flemish Caravaggism (exhibition Ghent, Museum voor Schone Kunsten Ghent, 21.01 - 23.04.2023) / Frederica Van Dam, Timothy De Paepe, Wayne E. Franits, Astrid Harth, Liesbeth M. Helmus, Joost Vander Auwera, Gert Jan Van der Sman. - Ghent : Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent, 2023 ; Ghent : Snoeck Publishers, 2023 (p.6: afb.1 ; p.10: afb. 2 ; pp.97-99: afb.84-85-86 ;p.113: afb.103 ; p.116: afb.106 ; p.119: afb. 110 ; p.120: afb.110 ; pp.196-197: cat.39 ; p.243: afb.168 ; p.246: afb.171)
Theodoor Rombouts : Virtuose du caravagisme flamand (exposition Gand, Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gand, 21.01 - 23.04.2023) / Frederica Van Dam, Timothy De Paepe, Wayne E. Franits, Astrid Harth, Liesbeth M. Helmus, Joost Vander Auwera, Gert Jan Van der Sman. - Gand : Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent, 2023 ; Gand : Uitgeverij Snoeck, 2023
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