Art and Architecture (SP3055)

La rendición de Breda

“

Justin, at the head of the Dutch column, has just come up the hill and dismounted his horse, which is held by a groom. He is accompanied by armed escort of his soldiers, who are identified by the orange pennons on their pikes. On the right is a detachment of Spanish-Burgundian troops, with their checkered banner, with its red St Andrew's cross, a graceful tribute to the infanta, who had used it as her standard. Nassau advances in Spínola's direction, inclining towards him as if about to bow or kneel, and starts to hand over the keys to the city. At that moment Spínola places an arm on the Dutchman's shoulder. Brown and Elliott, p.180.

“

These two understated actions - the aborted genuflexion and the restraining countermovement - reveal the heart of Velázquez conception. By drawing on the traditional representations of surrender, and then turning them inside out, Velázquez manifested the underlying meaning of the event and thereby added glory to the might of the king of Spain. Brown and Elliott, p.180

“

... The presence of the Dutch troops is a sign that the surrender of Breda is an exceptional event. More important Spínola has dismounted and meets Nassau on equal footing, not as the triumphant victor. The significance of this gesture is underscored by one of the most unusual features of the picture, the prominence of the horse in the right foreground which is always noted but never explained. The horse in this setting is a sign of an extraordinary act of military courtesy precisely because Spínola is not mounted on its back. And so too are Nassau's standing position and the hat he holds in his hand. Justin has just come forward to perform the customary act of submission. He starts to kneel, hence the slanting posture of his body. But Spínola dismounts and restrains his former adversary, treating him as an equal. In a flash, the surrender has been changed from an act of submission to an act of clemency and magnanimity. Brown and Elliott, p.181