The Famished People after the Relief of the Siege of Leiden

• The Famished People after the Relief of the Siege of Leiden
• Distribution of Herring and White Bread at the Relief of Leiden, 3 October 1574

SK-A-3911

• signature and date: ‘OVV F 1574 3 10.’
• inscription: ‘Men was in groot verdriet / want eten was er niet / En 't volck van Honger schreijden / Ten laest ... God nedersiet / En sond door dese R. Vliet / Spijs, Brood en Dranck in Leijden.’

When a city is surrounded by enemies, its people find themselves in a tight corner. Food is scarce and disease easily breaks out. Reasons enough for Leiden to almost surrender in 1574. But the city is liberated by the Rebel army, the relief comes in the nick of time. Swarms of famished and exhausted people await their liberators. The soldiers have brought food with them, mostly herring and white bread.

E. Kolfin, M. Rikken, A Very Personal Copy: Pieter van Veen’s Illustrations to Montaigne’s Essais, in: P.J. Smith, K.A.E. Enenkel, Montaigne and the Low Countries (1580-1700), Intersections 8, Leiden: Brill, 2007: p. 247-262. (toegeschreven aan Pieter van Veen)

painter: Otto van Veen (mentioned on object)

1574 - 1629

olieverf op paneel

• depth 8.5 cm
• height 40 cm x width 59.5 cm

purchase 1956-11-28

Public domain

Inv.; the dealer James Alexander Butti (1892-1918), Edinburgh;{According to a label on the reverse.}…; sale, Jakob Goldschmidt et al. [section William Maclean Homan (?-1956, Winchelsea, East Sussex)], London (Sotheby´s), 28 November 1956, no. 8, fl. 2,134.74, to the museum

Please note that this provenance was formulated with a special focus on provenance research for the years 1933-45 and could therefore be incomplete. There may be more (mostly earlier) provenance information known in the museum. In case this item has an uncertain or incomplete provenance for the years 1933-45, the Rijksmuseum welcomes information and assistance in the investigation and clarification of the provenance of all works during that era.

• E. Kolfin, M. Rikken, A Very Personal Copy: Pieter van Veen’s Illustrations to Montaigne’s Essais, in: P.J. Smith, K.A.E. Enenkel, Montaigne and the Low Countries (1580-1700), Intersections 8, Leiden: Brill, 2007: p. 247-262. (toegeschreven aan Pieter van Veen)
• Documentatiemap Schilderijen: aantekeningen R. van Luttervelt (voor 1963).

To refer to this object, please use the following persistent URL:

https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200110480