"The surrender of Breda and the expulsion of the vanquished, October 10th, 1637": explanation of the painting : description of its historical content

Abstract

"In June 1625, Justin of Nassau surrendered Breda to the Spanish troops. It was one of Spinola's and Spain's most famous victories, inspiring several artistic works, perhaps the most well-known being the painting by Diego Velázquez made nine years later in 1634. We present this painting titled 'The Surrender of the City of Breda on October 10, 1637' which represents the recovery of Breda as a momentous historical event for the United Provinces and the House of Orange-Nassau. Most paintings of this genre are usually representations of banal siege scenes that lasted a long time. In this case, the theme is focused on a single specific historical day. [...] Bernardo J. García García [...] explains this important event for the Netherlands in his thesis based on the scenes from this painting. During the 17th century, it was common for a painter to be commissioned by military or civil authorities to be an eyewitness and document important events, especially battles and surrenders, as a form of propaganda and historical record. This painting is live photojournalistic testimony of how everything happened: the painter was sent to the site, positioned himself on a high hill, and captured the event accurately, even identifying key figures such as Stadtholder Frederick Henry of Nassau and his entire entourage. The high level of detail described in buildings, fortifications, surrounding landscape, precision in the arrangement of the troops on the ground, and different people leaving the city is also relevant. In the Rijksprentenkabinet of Amsterdam, there is an engraving (pages 42 and 43) that depicts some Capuchin friars carrying a unique cross. These similarities between engraving and painting from two different angles provide proof of the truth of everything else in both the engraving and the painting. This painting seems to be the only real general image that reflects the direct testimony of what happened in the city of Breda on the historic October 10, 1637"-- Page 3.