De Recette Générale en de restauratie van het Brabantse katholieke landschap onder de Aartshertogen Albrecht en Isabella

Samenvatting

The Recette Générale and the Restoration of the Brabant Catholic Landscape under Archdukes Albrecht and Isabella

In this article, we determined how the donations listed in the annual account books of the Receiver General could contribute to our knowledge of the Catholic restoration in the duchy of Brabant during the reign of Archdukes Albert and Isabella. To do so, we analysed all archducal gifts to the Brabantian Catholic infrastructure in the year 1617 and divided these into two main categories: 'architecture' and 'decoration'. A thorough examination of four case studies was undertaken. The Recette Général proved to be a treasure trove of information, particularly for fragile textiles that often did not stand the test of time and buildings that barely survived the French Revolution or both world wars. Not only do these registers contain a glimpse of infrastructure that physically no longer remains, they can even clarify the provenance of existing heritage.

A longitudinal analysis of all registered donations during the entire reign of the archdukes will eventually enable us to deduct the total amount spent on one particular Brabantian church or convent. It will then be possible to compare the duchy of Brabant to other parts of the realm and cities such as Leuven or Brussels, with other Brabantian cities, or even to allow weighing of the importance and degree of exclusivity of individual donations - geographically, thematically and regarding the beneficiaries. Finally, especially confronted with existing literature and more detailed receipts, the Recette Général proves to be an excellent sampler for further case study research.