MADRID.- The Ministry of Culture has recently acquired The Procession of Giants in Brussels on May 31, 1615, a painting by David Noveliers, for the Prado Museum. This work is part of a series of eight large canvases commemorating an important event that took place in Brussels in 1615. Isabella Clara Eugenia, daughter of King Philip II of Spain, who ruled the southern Netherlands as Sovereign Princess alongside her husband, Archduke Albert of Austria, participated in the annual Grand Serment archery competition. Remarkably, she shot down the bird, known as "the parrot," which was perched atop the spire of the Church of Our Lady of Sablon. The event was celebrated for several days, and to memorialize the occasion, the Archdukes, both prominent patrons of the arts, commissioned these paintings from various court artists, including Denijs van Alsloot and David Noveliers.

These monumental works not only capture historical moments of great significance but also serve as a tribute to Isabella Clara Eugenia and, through her, to the Spanish Monarchy in the Netherlands. They are of immense artistic and anthropological value, given the subjects they portray, and were created by artists working within one of Europe’s most distinguished courts for collecting art during the early 17th century. The existence of multiple early versions of this series further underscores their importance at the time of their creation.

The complete set of eight paintings was sent by the Archdukes to King Philip III of Spain, the Infanta’s brother. A 1636 inventory from the Alcázar of Madrid details each scene, including the one depicted in this newly acquired work: “The fourth, twelve feet long and the same height [as the previous painting], in which are four large giants and four smaller ones featured in the festivities, along with a large black horse covered in cloth and four armed men holding drawn swords. The shield bears three coats of arms.”

Of the original eight paintings, only six have survived. Two are held by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and with the recent acquisition of The Procession of Giants in Brussels on May 31, 1615, four of these works now reside at the Prado Museum. The others in the collection include The Ommegang Festivities in Brussels: Guilds Procession, The Ommegang Festivities in Brussels: Procession of Our Lady of Sablon, and The Feast of Our Lady of the Forest, all painted by Denijs van Alsloot.

This new acquisition marks a significant addition to the Prado’s collection of early 17th-century European court paintings.