Theodor van Thulden

In 1635, the Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand, brother of the Spanish King Philip IV, entered the city of Antwerp in the southern Netherlands as its new governor. The Antwerp burgomasters relied upon the celebrated local artist Pieter Paul Rubens to devise the entire artistic program for his joyous reception. Ephemeral triumphal arches and stages line the processional route through from entrance into Antwerp to the city center. Although each ephemeral component, depicted in forty-one engravings in this book, gives the impression of a massive stone monument, their frameworks were timber, with columns and other elements painted to resemble marble and precious stones. Decorative elements such as griffons, putti, and figures were made by cutting carefully around paintings on wood with a fret saw. Key elements, such as allegorical figures, were carved from stone, while textiles and goldpainted lettering further animated each structure. Finally, large canvases inserted into frames within the arches and tableaux, painted by artists carefully following Rubens’s designs, provided the rich narrative and allegorical elements that glorified the Archduke's journey to the Spanish Netherlands while proclaiming his dynastic legitimacy and the virtues of just rule.