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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Any Jewelry, post: 250892, member: 2844&quot;]First of all, there is no conflict between the Flemish or Brabant lions or the nations they represent, they are very closely related.<img src="styles/default/xenforo/smilies/smile.png" class="mceSmilie" alt=":)" unselectable="on" /></p><p>We are talking history and heraldry here, and those are partly shared between Brabant and Flanders. As a frequent visitor to Belgian Flanders you probably know that a major part of the Flemish region is Brabant, including the important cities of Antwerp and Brussels. You also know that Flanders proper includes parts of France and The Netherlands.</p><p><br /></p><p>According to records, the lion of Flanders, proper name: Flemish Lion, was probably introduced in the 14th century. But it only received official status in 1990. It was based on the Brabant Lion which has been in use since the 11th century and received official status in 1106. More than eight centuries before the Flemish Lion.</p><p>When the Flanders Lion came into being, the Flemish used exactly the same colours as the Brabanders, only in reverse. This was not due to a lack of imaginaton, but as an hommage to the original Brabant Lion, and a sign that they wanted an enduring alliance with Brabant.</p><p>The Brabant Lion is also the symbol of Belgium and of Flemish speaking Belgium, which includes parts of Flanders and Brabant.</p><p>The only difference between the two lions are the colours, Brabant - gold lion on black, Flanders - black lion on gold. Unpainted they look exactly the same.</p><p><br /></p><p>The style of this table is classic chunky Dutch Brabantia Nostra, made in either Oisterwijk or Oirschot.</p><p>Belgium has beautiful furniture styles, but, though related, this isn&#039;t one of them. Their carving is usually more fussy, and the furniture usually more elegant. And, by the way, mostly made in the towns of Mechelen and Leuven, which are in Belgian Brabant<img src="styles/default/xenforo/smilies/wink.png" class="mceSmilie" alt=";)" unselectable="on" />, not Flanders.</p><p>The claim that an unpainted lion on a Dutch piece is Flemish, can only be substantiated if there is proof that the table was made for use in Flanders proper. We don&#039;t have that proof, and I think the Flemish would rather have had a more elegant Belgian table.</p><p>So, because the table is Dutch, and the lion is not painted, there is no reason to assume the lion is Flemish, Hollands, Scottish, etc. Until we have proof to the contrary, it would be fair to assume it is the original, ancient Brabant Lion, as it appears on most Brabantia Nostra furniture.</p><p><br /></p><p>As I said, there is no conflict between the two nations and one lion is based on the other. Whenever plans of independence are voiced, either to get away from French-speaking Belgians or from Hollanders (the dominant west of The Netherlands), Dutch and Belgian Brabant and Flanders speak of getting back together. Economically there would be no problem at all, and even politicians in the German Rhineland (also one of the historic Low Countries) spoke of joining such a union. History will tell.</p><p><br /></p><p>Coat of arms of the province of Noord (north) Brabant, The Netherlands:</p><p><img src="https://www.brabant.nl/-/media/40f7426f19d7444089c73a73503d8e46.jpg" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>Flag of the Belgian king, with Brabant Lion:</p><p><img src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/13/Royal_Standard_of_King_Philippe_of_Belgium.svg/120px-Royal_Standard_of_King_Philippe_of_Belgium.svg.png" class="bbCodeImage wysiwygImage" alt="" unselectable="on" />[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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