Come, let us make a city and a tower”: Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s Tower of Babel and the Creation of a Harmonious Community in Antwerp

Abstract

This article discusses Pieter Bruegel's Tower of Babel (now in Vienna), originally displayed in the suburban villa of Antwerp entrepreneur Niclaes Jonghelinck as an image that fostered learned dinner conversation (convivium) about the well-being of the city. Looking at various sources, the author analyzes how the theme of the painting, a story of mis-communication and disorder, resonated with the challenges faced by the metropolis. Antwerp's rapid growth resulted in the creation of a society characterized by extraordinary pluralism but with weakened social bonds. Convivium was one of the strategies developed to overcome differences among the citizens and avoid dystrophy of the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]