Louis XIV Crossing the Rhine, 12 June 1672

This painting by Adam Frans van der Meulen, who travelled to the site to study its setting, depicts the crossing of the Rhine at the Tolhuis ford on 12 June 1672, at the very start of the Franco-Dutch War. Louis XIV appears in the foreground surrounded by his cavalry, while the Prince of Condé, who led the vanguard, was severely wounded in the wrist while forcing the crossing — the only wound of his entire military career. This episode, staged largely for royal propaganda, opened an offensive that saw three provinces of the Netherlands fall within weeks.