‘Het oordeel van Cambyses’ van Vigor Boucquet

Summary The city of Nieuport (Belgian coast) keeps a valuable painting of ‘The Judgement of Cambyses’, a justice scene made by the local painter Vigor Boucquet. It survived the destruction of the city in World War I and II. It’s the city magistrate who offers the artwork to the city in 1671, probably in replacement of an older copy of Gerard David’s famous Judgement of Cambyses. Due to its large dimensions it must have made an overwhelming impression in the magistrates’ court. As a painter Boucquet has recognized but limited talents. He is a true master of colorite in displaying clothing and fabrics. As regards the development of the story he is inspired by the well-known examples of Claes Jacobsz. van der Heck, Martin Faber and Joachim Uytewaal. Different from his predecessors he concentrates more on the story than on the moral lesson. In a certain sense this baroque master returns to the medieval cruelty of Gerard David, avoided by the Renaissance masters.

“Burkini” bans in Belgian municipal swimming pools: Banning as a default option

Muslim women’s religious dress is a matter that exercises many minds and the recent public debate on the so-called “burkini” (preferably phrased as “body covering swimwear”) is the umpteenth variation on the theme. Following the French commotion on the presence of “burkini” wearers at the coast in 2016, the “burkini” became the subject of public debate in Belgium. Whereas the “burkini” did not cause much public unrest in the context of the Belgian coast, the majority of local swimming pools in the Flemish region of Belgium do have dress codes banning the “burkini”, even before the (inter)national media outcry. This article discusses the prevalence of these restrictive dress regulations and scrutinizes the rationalisation behind local “burkini” bans in municipal swimming pools. These findings are complemented with the perspectives and experiences of “burkini” wearers, who challenged the “burkini” bans before the court. Finally, this article analyses the “burkini” bans in light of European human rights standards.