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Food, people and the city

Comparative perspectives

This conference, strongly linked to the theme of the MAS exhibition 'Antwerp à la carte', aimed to increase our awareness of food systems as dynamic cultural phenomena. The conference took place between 21-23 September 2022.

Objects in the exhibition

Except for a dozen or so loans, all the pieces on display in the exhibition come from the MAS collection. The objects have been chosen for what they portray, their significance or their (historical) story.

In collaboration with Antwerp families

The MAS, together with a number of key partners, collected stories from Antwerper citizens about what a "home" means to them. A dozen families collaborated on the exhibition for a year.

Accessibility

MAS strives to be as accessible and inclusive a place as possible. How do we welcome less mobile visitors, people with hearing or visual impairments, or those with autism spectrum disorders?

Three guild tokens

The MAS keeps an extensive and important collection of historical tokens and coins, among which these three masterpieces. They were made for the guilds or trades. These were professional and interest associations led by a dean elected by the members.

Guild chain of a Sint-Jorisgilde

This necklace, a guild chain, comes from a German or northern Dutch marksmen's guild with St George as its patron saint. It belongs to the so-called guild silver, with objects from the guilds' environment.

Table with colourful inlay

The Dutchman Pierre Gole made the exceptional ceremonial table for the castle of Vincennes, as commissioned by Louis XIV himself. It is one of the most important pieces of furniture in public ownership in Belgium.

Egyptian antiquities to Waterloo

On display until 14 January 2024 at the Wellington Museum in Waterloo

A small selection of cultural artefacts from Egyptian antiquity temporarily finds its place at the Wellington Museum in Waterloo. The exhibition uses historical documents, weapons and Egyptian antiquities to show what influence the land of the pharaohs has had on the European public for centuries.

The conversion of Saul

The Saulus tableau depicts a Biblical scene: on his way from Jerusalem to Damascus, the Roman Saul, persecuting Christians, is blinded by a lightning bolt and thrown from his horse. This tile tableau of over 1 by 2 metres has 98 tiles in majolica, colourful and glazed earthenware.

The Averbode altarpiece

In the centre of this altarpiece, those close to Christ are mourning his death, and above in miniature, we see Christ again, but alive and in the limbo of Hell. Below, each of the three women are depicting a virtue: Faith, Hope and Love. When the altarpiece is closed, you can see the tortured Christ being shown to the people on the left, and on the right, Jesus being offered a sweat cloth by Veronica.