Artwork
De Bataven verslaan de Romeinen bij de Rijn
De Bataven verslaan de Romeinen bij de Rijn is an unspecified painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Otto van Veen. It dates from 1606 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
You see a battle: men in armor clash on a muddy riverbank, flags flying, horses rearing.
This painting was part of a set made for the Dutch government in 1613. The scene shows an old rebellion the Dutch liked to compare to their own fight for freedom. The artist is unknown, but the work hung in the same building where laws were made.
To see more paintings like this, visit the Rijksmuseum.
Overview
This painting depicts a pivotal battle between the Batavians and Romans, part of a series of twelve commissioned by the Dutch States General in 1613.
Subject & Meaning
The artwork illustrates the revolt of the Batavians against Roman rule in AD 69 and 70, an event drawn upon by the Dutch to contextualize their own struggle for independence.
History & Provenance
Originally displayed in the Binnenhof, the central government building in The Hague, the painting was part of a larger decorative scheme intended to commemorate historical parallels to the Dutch Revolt.
Context
The commission reflects the early Dutch Republic's tendency to identify with the Batavian uprising as a historical precedent for their own fight against Spanish rule.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Otto van Veen, was a painter, draughtsman, and humanist active primarily in Antwerp and Brussels in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
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