Flanders, Brabant and Hainaut venerate the madonna

This allegory glorifies the blessings of the Peace of Westphalia in 1648: the cultural und economic flowering of the three provinces in the southern Netherlands under the Catholic rule of Spain. “Brabant” is kneeling on the left in front of the Vir- gin enthroned, “Hainaut” is bowing in the middle, and proud “Flandria” is standing on the right. Putti float down from the sky, bringing with them books and a cornucopia with gold- pieces. Never Rubens’s pupil, van Thulden nevertheless inte- grated the latter’s painting style in his work.