Pieter van der HEYDEN (c. 1530 - after 1572) : The Battle of the Money Bags and The Strong Boxes - after 1570
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Engraving, 236 mm x 304 mm. Lebeer 54; New Hollstein 33 ii/iv.
Impression of the 2nd state (of 4) with the address Aux quatre Vents.
Superb impression printed on laid watermarked paper (Gothic P). Slight traces of discoloration on the edges of the margins, due to an old mat . Tiny thin area on the reverse, margins all around the platemark (sheet: 260 mm x 325 mm).
Excellent overall condition.
Until recently, this 2nd state was considered to be the 1st, but Nadine Orenstein has reported the existence of an impression kept at the Albertina in Vienna with oec instead of ooc and without a dash above re in vuere, which is considered to be the first state.
"Bruegel's preparatory drawing for this undated print has not been identified. The engraving was made by Pieter van der Heyden and published by Volcxken Diericx. Although the print has been dated in the past to between 1558 and 1567,we can tell from the inscription Aux quatre Vents that Diericx did not publish it until after the death of her husband, Hieronymus Cock in 1570. Based on stylistic similarities with dated Bruegel prints, the design could be dates around 1562-63." (Katrien Lichtert, in Marten Bassens & Joris van Grieken, Bruegel, the Complete Graphic Works, Thames & Hudson Ltd, 2019, p. 246).
This fierce battle between money bags and strong boxes has been interpreted in various ways, with some likening the money bags to small savers and the strong boxes to financiers. This opposition could indeed be linked to the explicit theme of the print The Big Fish Eat the Little Fish. However, as Manfred Sellink points out, this is not a battle between distinct camps: money bags, saddlebags, barrels, and strong boxes clash indiscriminately in a generalized battle for money. The scene therefore seems to illustrate the disorder and evils caused by greed, in a spirit similar to that of the Deadly Sins series.
This is also suggested by the six Latin verses written in three columns in the lower margin and the six verses below in Dutch:
“Quid modo diuitiae, quid fului vasta metalli / Congeries, nummis arca referta nouis, // Illecebres inter tantas, atque agmina furum, / Inditium cunctis efferus uncus erit, // Præda facit furem, feruens mala cuncta ministrat / Impetus, et spoliis apta rapina feris.”
“The savage grappling hook will reveal to all the riches, the vast pile of yellow metal, the strongbox stuffed with new coins among these great enticements and the ranks of thieves. Booty makes the thief, the assault that serves all evil helps him, and so does the pillage good for fierce spoils.” (translated by Katrien Lichtert, op. cit.)
“Wel aen ghÿ Spaerpotten, Tonnen, en Kisten. / Tis al om gelt en goet, dit striden en twisten. // Al seetmen v ooc anders, willet niet ghelouen. / Daerom vueren wÿ den haec die ons noÿt en misten, // Men soeckt wel actie om ons te uerdoouen, / Maer men souwer niet krÿgen, waerder niet te roouen.”
“Forward, you piggy banks, barrels and chests. It's all for money and goods, this fighting and quarrelling. Even if they tell you something different, don't believe it. That's why we carry that hook, which has never forsaken us, on our banners. They are taking action to calm us, but there would be no battle if there were nothing to steal.” (translated by Katrien Lichtert)
In 2019, the Royal Mint of Belgium struck a commemorative 10-euro silver coin in honor of the 450th anniversary of Bruegel's death, with the reverse side depicting a detail from The Battle of the Money Bags and The Strong Boxes.
References: Marten Bassens & Joris van Grieken, Bruegel, the Complete Graphic Works, Thames & Hudson Ltd, 2019; Manfred Sellink, Bruegel, L’oeuvre complet, peintures, dessins, gravures, Ludion, 2007; Nadine Orenstein (ed.), Pieter Bruegel the Elder: Drawings and Prints, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2001.