Joyous Entry of the Duke of Anjou into Antwerp, 19 February 1582

Painted the same year as the event it depicts by a South Netherlandish artist known only by the monogram M.H.V.H., this work commemorates the "Joyous Entry" of Duke **François-Hercule of Anjou** into **Antwerp** on **19 February 1582**, where he was invested as Duke of Brabant in the presence of **William of Orange**, leader of the revolt against Spain. This lavish ceremony, meant to seal the French prince's authority over the insurgent Netherlands, in fact granted him only a largely honorific role, as the States General and provincial States retained the bulk of real power. Painted in the immediate aftermath, the work reflects the hope raised by this Franco-Dutch alliance against Philip II — a short-lived hope, since Anjou's venture would end the following year in the disaster of the French Fury.