Search

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.

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.

20 years 'Flemish Masterpieces Decree'

What is valuable must be protected. That is the logic of the Flemish Masterpieces Decree. Since the creation of this decree in 2003, just about 1,000 objects and collections have been recognised and protected as masterpieces. Through decree, the government also strengthens public collections by acquiring important masterpieces.

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.

‘Cask hood’ of an alembic

This ‘helmet’ is indispensable in illustrating the history of distillation in the Low Countries. In various 16th and 17th-century engravings and paintings, you can see how vapours were cooled down and converted into liquids in a helmet like this. In Belgium, we do not know a second one like this.

The cope of Nonnemielen

This choir hood is a luxurious robe from around 1500 and is a fine example of the so-called "opus anglicanum". It is one of the few surviving examples that ended up in Flanders. For Antwerp, the image on the choir hood is very special.

The nine contemplations

The nine contemplations on the impurity of the human body depicts how finite the human body is. Japanese monks used such series as an aid to their meditation.

Masterpieces from the Governement of Flanders

Flanders possesses a magnificent collection of movable cultural heritage. With the 'Masterpieces Decree', the Flemish government wants to protect these unique cultural objects. Based on the decree, a list of rare and indispensable objects was compiled. Some of them are part of the MAS collection.

Acquisitions and donations

The MAS collection grows every year. We look for new acquisitions ourselves, but also receive offers in the form of a donation or an inheritance. We also invite people to contribute actively to the MAS collection through appeals.

Optreden van Lander en Andriaan op het dak van het MAS

What's there to do

Are you planning a visit alone or with the family? Will you be visiting with your class, school, company or a group? You'll find all kinds of activities here.

Content type

Subscribe to our newsletter