Aurelius Augustin Coppens (1668–1740)

• Was a Flemish painter, engraver, draughtsman and tapestry designer.
• Augustin Coppens was born as the youngest son of the landscape painter Frans Coppens in Brussels.
• He is believed to have trained with Jean François Millet (I).
• On 13, 14 and 15 August 1695 French troops carried out the first artillery bombardment on a civil population in modern history.

• This event, known as the Bombardment of Brussels, caused the destruction of a third of the buildings in Brussels.

• Coppens took to the streets of Brussels and documented the horrible destruction of his hometown.

• He engraved 12 of the drawings, some with the help of his friend Richard van Orley.

• The plates were published the same year in Brussels under the title Perspectives des Ruines de la Ville de Bruxelles.

• Augustin Coppens joined the Brussels Guild of Saint Luke in 1698 when he was already 30 years old.

• By his account he had already commenced designing tapestries and cartoons before he joined the Guild.

• He was very productive as a tapestry designer working on commissions from workshops in Brussels, Antwerp and Oudenaarde.

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