Table centrepiece Brabofountain Armand Lens, Jef Lambeaux Antwerp, c. 1910 Silver, amethyst MAS | collection Vleeshuis, AV.1920.030 Donated by Louis Coetermans (1912)
Brabofountain in miniature
This table fountain depicts the most famous Antwerp legend recounting the origin of the name Antwerp: hand-throwing. At the top we see the figure of Brabo. He is about to hurl away the severed hand of giant Antigoon with great effort.
This unique silver showpiece was placed for decoration in the middle of the table, perhaps on a mirror. It is a copy of Jef Lambeaux's Brabofountain at the Grote Markt. In the copy, the bronze statues on a rock of basalt stones were executed in silver and set on a rock of amethyst.
Antwerp silver
The showpiece was made by house Lens from Huidevettersstraat. Armand Lens was commissioned around 1910 by diamond dealer Louis Coetermans to make the silver copy. In 1910, it was exhibited at the Exposition Universelle in Brussels. Louis Coetermans was also consul-general of Persia. During the Exposition Universelle in Brussels, he was appointed commissioner-general. He would later be appointed a Commander in the Order of Leopold. To commemorate this occasion, Coetermans donated the table fountain to the city of Antwerp in 1912.
Today, the showpiece belongs to the MAS|collection Vleeshuis. It is one of the permanent loans to DIVA. From the MAS, Jan Theodor de Bry's wedding cutlery (AV.1920.006.001 and 002) and the so-called grunting cup from the first half of the 17th century (AV.1908) were also loaned.