Adam-Frans van der Meulen (1632 -1690) - Louis XIV at the crossing of the Rhine

Adam-Frans van der Meulen (Bruxelles, 1632 - Paris, 1690) and his workshop
Louis XIV and his army at the crossing of the Rhine 12 June 1672
Signed A.F VANDERMEULEN at the right low corner
Oil on canvas : h. 88 cm, w. 130 cm
Carved giltwood Louis XIV style frame
Framed: h. 103 cm, w. 145 cm

This painting illustrates one of the most famous episodes of the Dutch War, the crossing of the Rhine near Tolhuis by Louis XIV and his armies on June 12, 1672.
The French invasion of the Dutch Republic took place on June 12, 1672, when, with an army of 120,000 men, the largest that Europe had seen since the Roman Empire, Louis XIV entered the Netherlands at the junction of the Rhine at Lobith. Here, Louis XIV is shown in the right foreground on his white horse leading his men with his sword. Dutch and French forces clash in the river below, while Lobith's Tower is on fire in the background.
Several autograph versions by Adam Frans van der Meulen as well as workshop variants in different formats with variations in the landscape are listed in public and private collections. The only version considered enterily executed by the hand of Van der Meulen is the painting in Musée des Beaux-Arts de Caen.

Related works :
• Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Adam Frans van der Meulen, oil on canvas : 103 x 159 cm
• Louvre Museum, Adam Frans Van der Meulen, oil on canvas: 49 × 111 cm
• Musée des Beaux-Arts de Caen, Adam Frans Van der Meulen, oil on canvas : 83 x 156 cm
• Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon, Adam Frans Van der Meulen, oil on canvas : 77 x 109 cm
• Château Vaux le Vicomte, Adam Frans Van der Meulen, oil on canvas, unknown size
• Christie’s 26 juin 2008, workshop of Van der Meulen, oil on canvas: 105,7 x 170 cm
• Sotheby’s Paris, 15 juin 2017, Adam Frans Van der Meulen, oil on canvas : 66 x 82 cm
• Sotheby’s New York, 6 juin 2012, workshop of Van der Meulen, oil on canvas : 81 x 114 cm