Panoramic View of Antwerp and its Port

Hans Bol belonged to the Mechelen School of landscape painters. With the Spanish laying siege to Mechelen, he fled that town in 1572 and moved to Antwerp. When Antwerp, too, fell into the hands of Spanish troops in 1584, Bol moved to the Northern Netherlands. He died in Amsterdam. This fine panorama of Antwerp is dominated by the tower of the Cathedral of Our Lady and the spire (now disappeared) of the church of the Abbey of St. Michael. Between these two buildings can be seen the tower of the Church of St. Andrew and, to the left, we catch a glimpse of the Church of St. Walburga (now demolished), that is partially concealed behind the Steen. This miniature dates from just prior to the Spanish incursion. There is no hint of the imminent calamity that is to strike Antwerp: there is a great bustle on the Scheldt, and shipping is moving easily.