Violieren

The Gillyflower

De Violieren
Poem as rebus on a shield, 1681, Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Antwerp. Painted for the Violieren by the painters Hendrick van Balen, Jan Brueghel the Elder, Frans Francken II, and Sebastian Vrancx, this painting won them first prize in a rhetoric competition.
Motto	Wt ionsten versaemt (United by love)
Merged into	Olyftack (1660)
Formation	around 1480
Extinction	1762
Type	Chamber of rhetoric
Official language	Dutch
Honorary president	Hooftman
Chairman	Prince
Executive officer	Deken
Executive assistants	Oudermans
Key people	Accoustrementmeester (properties master) Breuckmeesters (responsible for collecting membership fees) Busmeester (responsible for collecting alms for sick or "decayed" members) Princen van personagiën (casting directors)
Staff	personagiën, confreers
Volunteers	liefhebbers

The Violieren (wallflower or gillyflower) was a chamber of rhetoric that dates back to the 15th century in Antwerp, when it was a social drama society with close links to the Guild of St. Luke. It was one of three drama guilds in the city, the other two being the Goudbloem and the Olyftack. In 1660 the Violieren merged with former rival Olyftack, and in 1762 the society was dissolved altogether.

Much of what is known today about Antwerp's chambers of rhetoric comes from the city and guild archives. According to a note by the year 1480 in the early records of the Guild of St. Luke, the chamber's first victory was at a "Landjuweel" (a rhetoric competition open to contenders from throughout the Duchy of Brabant) in Leuven that took place that year. Their motto was "Wt ionsten versaemt"(united in friendship). From 1490, the chamber received an annual grant from the town of Antwerp. In 1493 they participated in a major contest in Mechelen and in 1496 they hosted their own "Landjuweel" in Antwerp.

The society was popular throughout the 16th century and many noted artists were members. The includes a list of the deans.

There were occasional major productions, usually to celebrate particular events. In 1585 the Violieren participated in the triumphal entry into Antwerp of Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma. During the 1590s there were no regular public performances, and for much of the decade meetings were prohibited by decree, but after 1600 members and sympathisers of the guild again began to meet weekly for dramatic and rhetorical exercises. On 16 June 1610 they performed a play on the main market square to celebrate the ratification of the Twelve Years' Truce. During the Truce, a representative of the Violieren attended a rederijkersfeest (festival of rhetoric) held in Amsterdam on 7 July 1613, organised by the Amsterdam chamber Wit Lavendel (White lavender), and in 1617 the chamber hosted its own competition in Antwerp. The constitutions of the chamber, dating back to 1480, were revised in 1619.

A rhetoric competition drawing participants from across the Low Countries was hosted by the Peoene (Peony) in Mechelen on 3 May 1620. Members of the Violieren carried off first prize for best rhyming rebus, first prize for best painted rebus, second prize for strongest line, and first prize for best performance in song.