Kartini Auditorium, Universiteitsbibliotheek Leiden
Witte Singel 27, 2311 BG Leiden
This activity starts at 15.45 h.
During the Eighty Years’ War, the Dutch West India Company had set its sights on the Portuguese colony in Brazil. In 1624, under the leadership of Jacob Willekens and Piet Heijn, the city of Bahia (now Salvador) was conquered. The WIC then spread a narrative of success. Within a year, however, the Portuguese, led by Don Frederique de Toledo, had recaptured the city; the Jornada dos Vassalos. In the narrative propagated by the Spanish crown through paintings and plays, 1625 became an annus mirabilis. Not only the Jornada, but also the Surrender of Breda, and various other global military and territorial successes contributed to a narrative of triumph and a reversal of fortune for the Spaniards. This narrative relied on the selective heroisation of some and the strategic omission of others.
The documentary Bahía 1625 explores how history was, is, and will be told, using a painting that was not part of the Spanish narrative as presented, for example, in the Salon de Reinos at the Buen Retiro Palace in Madrid. In the painting depicting the victory at Bahia in the Salon de Reinos, the suffering of war takes centre stage, and whilst the Count-Duke of Olivares and King Philip III are depicted, Don Fadrique de Toledo is not. The chance discovery of a painting in a private collection reveals that, alongside the official narrative orchestrated by the Count-Duke of Olivares, another narrative existed that emphasised the importance and role of Don Frederique de Toledo. The documentary combines real locations and interviews with experts with a beautifully animated and moving reconstruction of the painting itself. In it, the details of the battle depicted on the canvas come to life, allowing us to delve deeper into the story it tells.