Belgium asks France to return the picture of Rubens "The Triumph of Judah Maccabee"

BRUSSELS. The painting “The Triumph of Judas Maccabee” (Triomphe de Judas macchabée) of the Flemish baroque genius Peter Paul Rubens (Peter Paul Rubens, 1577-1640) again became the center of cultural relations between France and Belgium. Brussels asked to return to the homeland a picture that was taken out of the country as far back as 1794 by French troops.

Rubens - The Triumph of Judah Maccabee

The Prime Minister of Wallonia and the French Community of Belgium, Rudy Demotte, sent a letter to French President Francois Hollande and Minister of Culture Aurélie Filippetti, in which he reminded them of “close relations and friendship” between the two countries and confirmed request for the return of the painting.

In 2011, the Parliament of Wallonia and Brussels unanimously adopted a resolution according to which the government should make every effort to return Rubens’s work, which is currently in the Museum of Fine Arts in Nantes, to the Belgian city of Tournai (Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nantes) However, in Paris they stated that they did not receive an official request from the Belgian state and the appeal remained unanswered.

Rubens’ painting “The Triumph of Judah Maccabee” was painted in 1635 by order of Bishop Tourne for the local cathedral, but on the eve of the French Revolution the picture was withdrawn and since 1801, by order of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821), it has been stored in the Nantes Museum. Simultaneously with this work, the French army “captured” another picture of the master - “The liberation of the soul from purgatory” (La délivrance des âmes du Purgatoire, 1635), but it was returned to Belgium in 1816.

The “Triumph of Judah Maccabee” tells the story of the Maccabees, the five brothers from Modina, led by Judah, who led the notorious rebellions (167-160 BC) against the ruling Seleucid dynasty. This dynasty was founded after the death of Alexander the Great in 312 BC, by his cavalry general Seleucus I Nikator (356-281 BC) and began to impose a Hellenistic policy on Judea. The Maccabean revolt ended in success, and their victory is still celebrated on the day of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.

Anna Sidorova