Adam Frans Van der Meulen – Entry of Louis XIV in Douai

The Brussels painter Adam Frans Van der Meulen (1632-1690) created quite a furore at the court of the French King Louis XIV (1638-1715). He immortalised his military triumphs, embellished with the necessary pomp and bravado, as he did the royal couple’s entry in Douai, Northern France, in 1667. In this Phoebus Focus episode, Dr Leen Kelchtermans brings various subtleties and details to light, unravelling new insights into the creation and meaning of this work of art.

Adam Frans van der Meulen, The Entry of Louis XIV and Maria Theresa into Douai in 1667, after 1667. Monumental history painting depicting a ceremonial entry with a golden carriage, surrounded by horsemen, courtiers, and a large crowd, set against an urban backdrop of fortifications and smoke-filled skies. — Adam Frans Van der Meulen, *Entry of Louis XIV and Maria Theresia in Douai in 1667*, after 1667

Antwerp, The Phoebus Foundation

Detail of the version in the collection of The Phoebus Foundation: horsemen behind the carriage

Detail showing an unidentified horseman riding in a ceremonial procession, surrounded by courtiers and spectators in seventeenth-century dress, with an ornate carriage in the background, version from The Phoebus Foundation collection. — Detail of the version in the collection of The Phoebus Foundation: unknown horseman

Detail showing women seated inside an elaborately decorated golden carriage, visible through glass windows and surrounded by attendants and onlookers in seventeenth-century dress, part of a ceremonial procession, version from The Phoebus Foundation collection. — Detail of the version in the collection of The Phoebus Foundation: ladies in the carriage

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