1789 was not only in France a turbulent year. The Austrian Netherlands also experienced unrest. A revolt against Emperor Joseph II’s reform policies led to the Brabant Revolution. The insurgents (patriots) gathered an army under the command of General Vander Mersch and launched their attack against the imperial troops.
The fighting, which began in the Duchy of Brabant, soon spread to the County of Flanders, particularly to its largest city. During the ‘Four Days of Ghent’ (13-16 November 1789), the patriots captured the city and expelled the imperial garrison.
The battles and skirmishes caused significant damage and resulted in dozens of deaths. Jacques Trachez (1746-1820) created several prints depicting the ruins. This etching plate from the STAM collection shows the destructions between the ‘Pasbrug’ and the ‘Sint-Jorisbrug’.
In Paris, STAM was able to acquire a sabre belonging to a patriotic cavalry officer from this period. A similar sabre is part of the collection of the Royal Military Museum in Brussels. Both pieces bear the signature of Michiel Joannes Van Montagu (1757-1832). Originally from Dendermonde, this cutler had settled in Ghent a few years earlier, opening a workshop in the Donkersteeg.
A previous acquisition from 2021 highlights another aspect of his craftsmanship. It consists of a set of table knives from 1788. For this set, Van Montagu collaborated with the renowned Ghent silversmith Joannes Baptist Macharius Paulus (1730-after 1791), whose workshop was located in the house ‘De Zwaan’ on Korte Munt, near Van Montagu’s residence. Van Montagu crafted the steel blades, while Paulus produced the elegant silver handles.
