Die Einschiffung Annas von Österreich nach Spanien

Chrispijn van den Broeck (1530–1590/91) began

working on festival architecture and decoration

while affiliated with the studio of Frans Floris the

Elder (1515/20–1570), the well-established Antwerp

painter who also oversaw theatrical and civic

spectacles in the 1550s.1 In addition to religious processions

and occasional corteges for visiting dignitaries,

such events represented a significant source

of income for many urban artists and craftsmen.

The Embarkation of Anna of Austria to Spain

was made in conjunction with one of the most

notable civic spectacles of the era, the visit of the

Archduchess Anna of Austria (1549–1580), daughter

of Emperor Maximilian II (r. 1564–76) and the

betrothed of Philip II (r. 1556–98), king of Spain.

Resident in Vienna, Anna travelled to Spain via the

Netherlands, from where she made the remainder

of the journey by sea. She was received in Antwerp

on September 9, 1570. A triumphal arch at the entry

portal to the city was customary for such events;

these arches were erected in wood and covered with

decorations consisting of figures painted on cut and

shaped wood, textiles, and painted canvases inserted

into specially made niches. Though the Albertina

drawing is a print design, after which an engraving

was made by Harmen Jansz. Müller (c. 1540–1617)

and printed by Gerard de Jode (1516/17–1591) (fig. 1),

it is likely that the same composition appeared as a

painting on the triumphal arch erected for the processional

route during her entry (see Peters’s essay).2

The Latin verses on the print confirm just that: Van

den Broeck was the painter (pinxit) of the design,

and the scene adorned a triumphal arch (arcam

triumphalem) made on the occasion of Anna’s visit.

In the composition, the archduchess readies to

board the ship captained by Neptune, as a man in

armor clasps her hand and points to the waiting

ship. Neptune was a recurring figure in Antwerp

iconography, protector of the city’s seafaring trade.

Behind Anna are Diana, Venus, and Cupid, and,

somewhat in the shadows, Minerva, whose helmet

is clearly discernible in the drawing. The Three

Graces stand beyond. Benesch assumed that the

soldier who beckons Anna to the ship is Mercury,

but the figure lacks the typical attributes of the

messenger god.3 A notation in the Albertina’s collection

catalogue, Cahiers, suggests that the soldier is

Paris.4 If thematically the Judgment of Paris accords

with the subject of matrimony, casting Anna in

the role of Helen, the iconography is not entirely

correct—it was Juno, not Diana, who participated in

the judgment. The verses that appear on the upper

left of Müller’s print imply that the intent was more

general, flattering the archduchess as the virgin

daughter of the goddesses who accompany her on

her voyage, all proponents of love, fertility, and wisdom.

5 Just as the verses may have appeared in large

script on the triumphal arch or been read aloud by

an orator, the context of the entry may have also

provided markers to identify the soldier: was he a

reference to Antwerp’s Roman origins, or perhaps

Philip II himself?

Working in a pink-brown wash, Van den Broeck

drew most of the composition with a brush, employing

a fine pen only for details of costume and

ornament. Van den Broeck was familiar with the

creation of print designs due to regular work with

Antwerp publishers including Christoffel Plantijn

(1519/21–1589), Gerard de Jode, and Peeter Baltens

(1527/28–1584). His wash technique was typical of

such designs and easily interpreted by a skilled

engraver such as Müller.

 

1. Wouk 2018, 179.

2. Mielke U. (NHD) 2011, xxiv, 2:62–63, no. 232.

3. Benesch O. 1928, 18, no. 121.

4. The Cahiers date to Duke Albert von Sachsen-Teschen’s

(1738–1822) lifetime, and notes were likely transcribed by a

professional scribe; the opinions may be those of François

Lefèbvre, who worked in the collection beginning in 1783;

Adam von Bartsch also seems to have contributed his expertise.

With thanks to Laura M. Ritter for this information.

5. Ascendas o virgo deum charissima proles. Nam sumus hic quot

habet nostrum tibi numina regnum. Aequatum est aequor veniunt

ad carbasa venti.

 

Emily J. Peters, Laura M. Ritter (Hg.), AK Tales of the City. Drawing in the Netherlands from Bosch to Bruegel, Cleveland Museum of Art 9.10.2022 - 8.1.2023, New Haven 2022, Kat. Nr. 87