Henri Seghers, 'Brand Falconkazerne'

Watercolour by Antwerp artist Henri Seghers (1848-1919) depicting the burning down of the Falcon Barracks during the Antwerp Ommegang. 

The Ommegang was a parade with medieval roots with elaborate floats paying tribute to Antwerp's rich history including 'de walvis' and 'Druoon Antigoon' (the head sculpted by Pieter Coecke van Aaelst, both visible in this painting. Freman and their steam-powered trucks are vaguely rendered in the front, in the back we see their colleagues spraying water on the building. 

The Falconkazerne building was bombed in 1914 by a German Zeppelin.

Watercolour on paper, early 20th century.

35 x 25 cm

Henri Seghers Jr. was a Belgian (Antwerp) artist born in 1848 and died in 1919. He was the son of the caligrapher Henri Seghers Sr. He was an art painter, draftsman, watercolorist and etcher. He gained fame through his marine paintings. His works involve not only an artistic, but also a documentary value of the shipping history between 1870 and 1914. (PIRON)