This masterpiece, owned by the Flemish Community, has been placed on long-term loan to the Museum Plantin-Moretus. It is a drawing from the later period of Jacob Jordaens. With its impressive size, complex subject matter, and fresh colours, the drawing is a beautiful and exceptional testament to Jordaens’ artistic skill in his later years.
The drawing depicts the triumph of Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom and peace. Minerva sits at the center on a throne, while the people pay tribute to her. At her feet lies the defeated god of war, Mars. On the left, Fame blows her trumpet of praise. Time, holding a scythe, raises a laurel wreath above her head. On the right stands the god Mercury with a staff in his hand, as a symbol of trade.
It may be a study for a lost painting that Jordaens donated to the Antwerp Academy. It offers us a wonderful insight into Jordaens’ creative process.
Many drawings by Jacob Jordaens have been preserved, but The Triumph of Minerva (ca. 1660–1665) stands out from his other artistic production in his later period - Jordaens was probably around 70 years old. The drawing is of high quality and shows a complex, original composition with a very specific subject. Together with its spectacular dimensions, all these elements point to an important, as yet unidentified commission. Also remarkable: the numerous corrections in the drawing reveal the painter’s creative search for the right proportions and poses of the figures.
The work is a beautiful and exceptional testament to Jordaens’ artistic skill in his later period. It therefore fully deserves a place on the Flemish Masterpieces List, meaning that it is regarded as a rare and indispensable work in Flanders.
Jacob Jordaens (1593–1678) was one of the most important painters in Antwerp in the 17th century, alongside Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony Van Dyck. His career was exceptionally long - he lived to be 85. Jordaens also received several international commissions. He lived just a stone’s throw from the Plantin printing house.
The provenance of the drawing is also noteworthy: in the 18th century, it was owned by Sir Joshua Reynolds, an important English painter. In the 20th century, it belonged to the collection of R. D’Hulst, an authoritative expert on Jordaens’ drawings who wrote several publications about him.
