'A profitable company'. Het pantheon als historisch genre in het negentiende-eeuwse België

'A profitable company'. The national pantheon as a historical genre in nineteenth-century Belgium After the Revolution of 1830, the new Belgian nation state was in a patriotic mood. It celebrated its national glory in pantheons, imaginary temples in which the heroes from the national past...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: J. Tollebeek, T. Verschaffel
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: openjournals.nl 2000-01-01
Series:BMGN: Low Countries Historical Review
Subjects:
Online Access:https://ojstest.minions.amsterdam/article/view/3645
_version_ 1818949009854693376
author J. Tollebeek
T. Verschaffel
author_facet J. Tollebeek
T. Verschaffel
author_sort J. Tollebeek
collection DOAJ
description 'A profitable company'. The national pantheon as a historical genre in nineteenth-century Belgium After the Revolution of 1830, the new Belgian nation state was in a patriotic mood. It celebrated its national glory in pantheons, imaginary temples in which the heroes from the national past were represented and accumulated. These pantheons were almost omnipresent in the public spaces of the kingdom. They familiarized the Belgians with their heroic ‘forefathers’ and with their legacy. The meaning and message of these pantheons were easily accessible. The sculpted, painted and written specimens of the genre could adopt various forms and could be composed according to different schemes. The national heroes were gathered either in a series of individual portraits or in a single group portrait. Often they displayed a hierarchic structure. The discussions about the medium concerned the selection and selectivity of the series and compositions: who could be allowed to enter the Hall of Fame of the nation, and was it not too crowded? Moreover, the excessive growth of the number of pantheons threatened to undermine their effectiveness. King Leopold II made various attempts to raise one National Monument in honour of the heroes of the nation, after the exemple of the Walhalla of Ludwig I of Bavaria. But the pantheon had lost prestige by the end of the nineteenth century. As an expression of the historical culture it had become marginal. Only within the framework of the debate on the ‘layered’ Belgian nationality, did a certain revival occur. In the year 1930, the Flemish subnation established its own pantheons.
first_indexed 2024-12-20T08:55:53Z
format Article
id doaj.art-842f022b2b284887aa0b5b14f7afc93e
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 0165-0505
2211-2898
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-20T08:55:53Z
publishDate 2000-01-01
publisher openjournals.nl
record_format Article
series BMGN: Low Countries Historical Review
spelling doaj.art-842f022b2b284887aa0b5b14f7afc93e2022-12-21T19:46:00Zengopenjournals.nlBMGN: Low Countries Historical Review0165-05052211-28982000-01-011152'A profitable company'. Het pantheon als historisch genre in het negentiende-eeuwse BelgiëJ. TollebeekT. Verschaffel'A profitable company'. The national pantheon as a historical genre in nineteenth-century Belgium After the Revolution of 1830, the new Belgian nation state was in a patriotic mood. It celebrated its national glory in pantheons, imaginary temples in which the heroes from the national past were represented and accumulated. These pantheons were almost omnipresent in the public spaces of the kingdom. They familiarized the Belgians with their heroic ‘forefathers’ and with their legacy. The meaning and message of these pantheons were easily accessible. The sculpted, painted and written specimens of the genre could adopt various forms and could be composed according to different schemes. The national heroes were gathered either in a series of individual portraits or in a single group portrait. Often they displayed a hierarchic structure. The discussions about the medium concerned the selection and selectivity of the series and compositions: who could be allowed to enter the Hall of Fame of the nation, and was it not too crowded? Moreover, the excessive growth of the number of pantheons threatened to undermine their effectiveness. King Leopold II made various attempts to raise one National Monument in honour of the heroes of the nation, after the exemple of the Walhalla of Ludwig I of Bavaria. But the pantheon had lost prestige by the end of the nineteenth century. As an expression of the historical culture it had become marginal. Only within the framework of the debate on the ‘layered’ Belgian nationality, did a certain revival occur. In the year 1930, the Flemish subnation established its own pantheons.https://ojstest.minions.amsterdam/article/view/3645Cultural History
spellingShingle J. Tollebeek
T. Verschaffel
'A profitable company'. Het pantheon als historisch genre in het negentiende-eeuwse België
BMGN: Low Countries Historical Review
Cultural History
title 'A profitable company'. Het pantheon als historisch genre in het negentiende-eeuwse België
title_full 'A profitable company'. Het pantheon als historisch genre in het negentiende-eeuwse België
title_fullStr 'A profitable company'. Het pantheon als historisch genre in het negentiende-eeuwse België
title_full_unstemmed 'A profitable company'. Het pantheon als historisch genre in het negentiende-eeuwse België
title_short 'A profitable company'. Het pantheon als historisch genre in het negentiende-eeuwse België
title_sort a profitable company het pantheon als historisch genre in het negentiende eeuwse belgie
topic Cultural History
url https://ojstest.minions.amsterdam/article/view/3645
work_keys_str_mv AT jtollebeek aprofitablecompanyhetpantheonalshistorischgenreinhetnegentiendeeeuwsebelgie
AT tverschaffel aprofitablecompanyhetpantheonalshistorischgenreinhetnegentiendeeeuwsebelgie