Mathieu Ignace van Bree

Mattheus Ignatius van Bree painted history on a grand scale, in the clear, polished Neoclassical style of the Napoleonic era: crowds, ceremonies, heroes and patriotic scenes with carefully drawn figures. He was also one of the teachers who shaped Belgian painting in the 19th century.

Born in Antwerp in 1773, he took second place in the Prix de Rome in Paris in 1797 with The Death of Cato. He painted The Arrival of the First Consul Bonaparte at Antwerp, 18 June 1803 for Joséphine, and also Dutch and Flemish history subjects such as The Patriotism of Burgomaster Van der Werff for Leiden town hall and The Death of Rubens, now in Antwerp. In 1827 he became director of the Antwerp Academy, where his pupils included Gustaf Wappers, Nicaise de Keyser, Henri Leys and Antoine Wiertz. He died in Antwerp in 1839.

Entry of Bonaparte as First Consul records Napoleon’s visit to Antwerp in 1803.