As the eighteenth century was coming to a close, French revolutionary troops marched into the Southern Netherlands. An ancien régime that had held sway for hundreds of years was swiftly dismantled to make way for the modern era. Antwerp too found itself occupied and subject to the influence of the French Revolution.

All of which found a fierce opponent in the Antwerp aristocrat Pierre Goetsbloets. A member of the city’s financial elite, he took a highly critical stance towards the new regime. French rule was, after all, a disaster for noblemen like him. Goetsbloets decided to record events for posterity in the form of an immense chronicle, which he embellished with magnificent watercolours.

His paintings are the most compelling visual material to have survived from the French Period and most of them have not previously been published. Goetsbloets’ watercolours illustrate iconic moments from the revolutionary years alongside everyday events in a city that suddenly found itself under the French tricolour. The aristocrat observed his fellow townspeople with plenty of humour and an eye for detail. For the first time, this book brings together a wide selection of his images accompanied by informative commentary.

Revolution in Antwerp offers a unique view of the city during one of its most turbulent chapters.

With a foreword by Prof. Herman Van Goethem.