172 - Adam Frans van der MEULEN (1632–1690) and his studio

Adam Frans van der MEULEN (1632–1690) and his studio The Capture of Léau Oil on canvas H_91 cm W_117 cm Restorations Related works: -Several preparatory drawings for *The Capture of Léau*, drawing, Mobilier National, Paris, Inv. 129, 131, 132, and 177 -Detailed studies of the town of Léau, Department of Graphic Arts, Louvre, R.F. 4917 -Ertinger after Van der Meulen, Paris, Chalco., no. 709, B.N.F., Est. Aa 109 -A preparatory drawing for the engraving, attributed to Van der Meulen, Department of Graphic Arts, Louvre, R.F. 4942 -Jean Baptiste Martin, replica for the Meudon Gallery, oil on canvas, 259 x 150 cm, Palace of Versailles, MV 2039 -Van der Meulen’s studio, studio replica, oil on canvas, 82 x 106 cm, Devonshire, Chatsworth Collection, Inv. 675 -Van der Meulen’s studio, studio copy, oil on canvas, 78 x 107 cm, Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg, Inv. 2729 -Van der Meulen’s Studio, studio copy, oil on canvas, British Royal Collection, 89 x 117 cm, Inv. B.P.3. -Van der Meulen’s Studio, studio copy, oil on canvas, 80 x 108 cm,Lyon Museum of Fine Arts, Inv. A. 2868 - Adam Frans van der Meulen, The Capture of Léau, oil on canvas, 170 x 150 cm, National Museum of the Palace of Versailles, MV 132. Bibliography: Jean-Aymar PIGANIOL DE LA FORCE, *New Description of the Palaces and Parks of Versailles and Marly*, 3rd ed., Paris, Florentin Delaulne, 1713, vol. I, p. 236. -Paul DUQUE ESTRADA GUERRA, History Painting at Marly under Louis XIV, Louveciennes, 1993, vol. I, pp. 32–35 -Stéphane CASTELLUCCIO, The Palace of Marly During the Reign of Louis XVI: A Study of the Decor and Furnishings of the Apartments in the Royal Pavilion During the Reign of Louis XVI, Paris, Réunion des musées nationaux, 1996, p. 101 -Joost VANDER AUWERA, Laure STARCKY, Chantal GASTINEL-COURAL et al., “To the Glory of the King: Van der Meulen, Painter of Louis XIV’s Conquests,” exhibition catalog, Dijon and Luxembourg, Paris, Imprimerie nationale Éditions, 1998, pp. 282–285 and p. 311 Our painting follows Van der Meulen’s composition for his depiction of The Capture of Léau, an episode from the Dutch War (1672–1678), which pitted Louis XIV against the United Provinces and a broad European coalition. This painting is part of the extensive program celebrating the military conquests of the Sun King, to which the painter devoted a large part of his career. The Capture of Léau took place in the spring of 1678, during the final months of the Dutch War, as French armies continued their operations in the Spanish Netherlands. Following recent successes in Flanders and the capture of Ypres on March 25, 1678, French troops continued their advance. Located between Liège and Leuven, the town of Léau—also known as Leeuw or Zoutleeuw—was a stronghold with natural defenses consisting of vast marshes, which made it particularly difficult for the French army to approach. Attacked at night, the town surrendered on May 4. This conquest was part of a campaign aimed at strengthening France’s military and diplomatic position prior to the conclusion of the Treaties of Nijmegen. It was, however, short-lived, as the town was returned to Spain a few months later, in September 1678. The composition shows Louis XIV in the foreground wearing a blue coat richly embroidered with gold. He is giving orders to Colonel de La Bretèche, commander of the dragoons. In the background, the town of Léau is faintly visible in the landscape. Van der Meulen depicts the sovereign in command; this choice of composition is intended to build the image of Louis XIV as a victorious war leader, rather than to directly depict the assault. The painter traveled to Léau himself in 1679 to study the topography of the area. An initial composition was then conceived for the series *The King’s Conquests*, the first commission intended for Marly. The preparatory cartoon, now in the collection of the Mobilier National, was never, however, realized as a tapestry. The composition had already been disseminated through an engraving by Ertinger, published in 1685 and announced in the *Mercure galant* of June 1686. It was ultimately in the second commission for Marly, in 1688, that Van der Meulen executed this composition. Originally intended to adorn the top of a fireplace, the painting was installed above the doorway in the antechamber of the king’s apartment. It is mentioned in the 1695 inventory of the château, and later in the inventory compiled by Jean-Baptiste Bailly in 1709–1710. It is often confused with a replica commissioned by Louvois for the gallery at the Château de Meudon, executed by Jean-Baptiste Martin, a collaborator of Van der Meulen. Successive changes to the format of these paintings contributed to the confusion. A design sketch produced by the studio is preserved at the Mobilier National (inv. 17