DOI Artikel:
Kępiński, Zdzisław: Jan van Eyck's "Tym. Wtheoc": portrait of Jean de Croy?
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.27011#0056
38
Z KĘPIŃSKI
cłivisions which power and arm could have decided about the victory whose
Masters de Croy and de Heilly drew their troops back again to the main
battlefield: “And it was the highest time as nobody could tell the fate of
the battle and maybe the Leodians would have gained the victory of the
above mentioned troups led by de Croy and de Heilly had not come back
and help in the finał fight”.37
According to the chronicler the role of the commanders was extremely
significant, especially their commands at the battlefield at Othey. Because
of the de Croy family gained famę and recognition as it is evident in the
chronicie by the greatest chronicler of the epoch; Enguerrand Monstre-
let.38
It was the greatest defeat of towns of Netherlands which often rioted
against the feudal system, but the so called Leodium uprising was the
greatest one that took place in the fifteenth century.
Thus, there would be nothing unusual about the fact that the next ge-
nerations of de Croy family would have liked to preserve the famę and
honours gained by Jean de Croy, seigneur de Renty, the first Chamberlain
of Duke of Burgundy — Jean san Peur. It could also be a reason for adopt-
ing the common heraldic device, which constantly repeated the rnotif of
Memory, such as: “Leal Sowenir”, “Sowenance”, or “Sowienne Vous!”.
Maybe the inscription Tym. OtheoS (Otheoi) suggests the existence of
certain links between family memory and that famous battle.
In this case the significance of those enigmatic Greek words, or may-
be Latin-Greek (that is: Latin with Greek spelling) could ref er strictly to
the historical event at Othey.
The analysis of Greek vocabulary from this point of view gives a re-
sult which rather supports than abolishes such an interpretation.
Ali the words of ancient Greek beginning with a syllable TYM (TvM)
mean a grave or burying, cuts or injuries, or playing kettledrums. Even
the word Tympanum, only in its figurative sense, means the “frontlet”
37 Monstrelet, loc. cit., p. 358: „Et pour verite, cette bataille fut moult dou-
leuse, car par 1’espace de demi-heure on ne pouvait pas connoitre ni apexccvoir
laąuelle cornpagnie etait la plus puissante en combattant. Et peut etre qu’iceux Lie-
geois aussent la victoire si icelle cornpagnie de cheval, retournee de l’oecision des
dessudits fuyants, ne fut derechef survenue au dos desdits Liegeois; laąuelle compa-
gnie se porta si vaillament en cette besogne [...]”.
38 Monstrelet, loc. cit. „Et adonc en assez brief terme futfaite d’iceux grandę
occision sans prendre nulli (personne) a finance. [...] et churent par milliers morts et
navres en grand confusion et desolation l’un sur l’autre, en telle maniere, que les
monts et multitude des morts et navre, etoient et plusieurs lieux plus grands que ne
lont lex chaumes des maissons au mois d’aout”.
Z KĘPIŃSKI
cłivisions which power and arm could have decided about the victory whose
Masters de Croy and de Heilly drew their troops back again to the main
battlefield: “And it was the highest time as nobody could tell the fate of
the battle and maybe the Leodians would have gained the victory of the
above mentioned troups led by de Croy and de Heilly had not come back
and help in the finał fight”.37
According to the chronicler the role of the commanders was extremely
significant, especially their commands at the battlefield at Othey. Because
of the de Croy family gained famę and recognition as it is evident in the
chronicie by the greatest chronicler of the epoch; Enguerrand Monstre-
let.38
It was the greatest defeat of towns of Netherlands which often rioted
against the feudal system, but the so called Leodium uprising was the
greatest one that took place in the fifteenth century.
Thus, there would be nothing unusual about the fact that the next ge-
nerations of de Croy family would have liked to preserve the famę and
honours gained by Jean de Croy, seigneur de Renty, the first Chamberlain
of Duke of Burgundy — Jean san Peur. It could also be a reason for adopt-
ing the common heraldic device, which constantly repeated the rnotif of
Memory, such as: “Leal Sowenir”, “Sowenance”, or “Sowienne Vous!”.
Maybe the inscription Tym. OtheoS (Otheoi) suggests the existence of
certain links between family memory and that famous battle.
In this case the significance of those enigmatic Greek words, or may-
be Latin-Greek (that is: Latin with Greek spelling) could ref er strictly to
the historical event at Othey.
The analysis of Greek vocabulary from this point of view gives a re-
sult which rather supports than abolishes such an interpretation.
Ali the words of ancient Greek beginning with a syllable TYM (TvM)
mean a grave or burying, cuts or injuries, or playing kettledrums. Even
the word Tympanum, only in its figurative sense, means the “frontlet”
37 Monstrelet, loc. cit., p. 358: „Et pour verite, cette bataille fut moult dou-
leuse, car par 1’espace de demi-heure on ne pouvait pas connoitre ni apexccvoir
laąuelle cornpagnie etait la plus puissante en combattant. Et peut etre qu’iceux Lie-
geois aussent la victoire si icelle cornpagnie de cheval, retournee de l’oecision des
dessudits fuyants, ne fut derechef survenue au dos desdits Liegeois; laąuelle compa-
gnie se porta si vaillament en cette besogne [...]”.
38 Monstrelet, loc. cit. „Et adonc en assez brief terme futfaite d’iceux grandę
occision sans prendre nulli (personne) a finance. [...] et churent par milliers morts et
navres en grand confusion et desolation l’un sur l’autre, en telle maniere, que les
monts et multitude des morts et navre, etoient et plusieurs lieux plus grands que ne
lont lex chaumes des maissons au mois d’aout”.