Eighty Years War (Dutch War of Independence) (1568-1648)
Contemporary prints and maps of the battles and sieges of the Eighty Years War
Siege of Breda, 1637
ARAUSIORUM, DEI GRATIA, CELSISSIMO PRINCIPI FREDERICO HENRICO / VINDICATAM IN LIBERTATEM, VI ARMORUM POSTLIMINII IURE, BREDAM / SUAM IN TABULA OFFERT VIRTUTIS HEROICÆ SUMMUS ADMIRATOR / MAXIMI VICTORIS MINIMUS...
1637 or laterEtching and engraving; printed from six copperplataes on six pieces of paper, joined; mounted on paper, (Remains of type B mount). | Scale: 1:29,000 approx. | RCIN 722112.a
A map and view of Breda, besieged for the fifth time from 21 July to 11 October 1637 by the Dutch, commanded by Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange (29 January 1584-14 March 1647), who retook the city from the Spanish who were under the command of the Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand of Austria (May 1609-9 November 1641). With a portrait of Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange. Eighty Years War (1568-1648). Oriented with east-south-east to top (cardinal points).
The view, surmounted by the right profile portrait of the Prince of Orange, flanked on the left by his coat of arms and, on the right, by the arms of Breda, is taken from the village of Ginneken which is now part of the southern suburbs of Breda.
According to the Rijksmuseum entry for one of these sheets (with the portrait of the Prince of Orange; RP-P-1883-A-7409), the only known complete set of the six sheets and text is in the Bodel Nijenhuis collection at Leiden. The Royal Collection example is therefore only the second known complete example of this print. A further description of the Nijenhuis example is in Rudolph Weigel, Suppléments au peintre-graveur de Adam Bartsch, Vol.1, Leipzig, 1843, p.155.
The letterpress key to the numbers on the map and the letters on the view is at RCIN 722112.b.
Laurens Nyendael (active 1637-48) (poet)
Jan Gerritsz van Bronckhorst (1603-1661) (etcher)
Watermark: Print: double-headed eagle, crown above. Mount: fleur-de-lys in crowned shield, the letter W and a '4' and the monogram WR below.
Condition: nine fold lines; each sheet was formerly folded before being pasted to the others; creased
Scale: 1:29,000 approx. Scale bar: Scale van 300 Roeden [59 mm =].
96.5 x 73.2 cm (image and sheet)
cropped (platemark)
Printed title:
ARAUSIORUM, DEI GRATIA, CELSISSIMO PRINCIPI FREDERICO HENRICO / VINDICATAM IN LIBERTATEM, VI ARMORUM POSTLIMINII IURE, BREDAM / SUAM IN TABULA OFFERT VIRTUTIS HEROICÆ SUMMUS ADMIRATOR / MAXIMI VICTORIS MINIMUS CLIENS, I.G. BRONCHORST. / INVENTOR ET SCULPTOR [no formal title; top centre, below portrait of Prince Henry Frederick of Nassau]
Additional text:
[below the view of the siege, a poem, signed by L. Nyendael. Text begins:] In expugnatam Bredam …
Annotations:
George III heading: Breda 23 July 1637
Other annotations: none.
George III catalogue entry:
Breda A Plan and View of the Siege of Breda by the Prince of Orange, 23.d of July 1637; with a portrait of the Prince of Orange; by I.G. Bronchorst.
Subject(s)
Breda, North Brabant, Netherlands (51°35'11"N 04°46'33"E)
Bibliographic reference(s)
M. McDonald, The Print Collection of Cassiano dal Pozzo. Part II, Architecture, Topography and Military Maps, 3 vols, London 2019, cat. no. 3010
Page revisions
14 March 2024
Current version
