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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 The exhibition uses historical documents, weapons and Egyptian antiquities to show what influence the land of the pharaohs has had on the European public for centuries.

Scheldt Free!

The freeing of the Scheldt was a landmark event in Flemish history. In mid-1863, Antwerp celebrated that after more than 250 years, merchant shipping on the Scheldt was truly free again. A telling painting of this ‘Scheldt Free!’ celebration from the MAS collection can be seen in our Visible Storage.

Vonck dental collection

Value assessment

In 2024, we selected a dental collection to perform a valuation on. There was no knowledge within the MAS about the provenance and history of this collection. It was not clear whether these objects had a place within the collection plan.

The Virgin of Consolation

New masterpiece by James Ensor in the expo

Recently, the Flemish Community acquired 'The Virgin of Consolation' by James Ensor. The painting had been on the 'Flemish Masterpieces' list since 2007. You can see the painting until 25 February in the 'Rare & Indispensable' exhibition. After that, it will be given into long-term loan at the MSK in Ghent.

MASbox

In the MASbox, you can enjoy our programming in all its diversity: film screenings, concerts, workshops, talks, lectures ... it's all possible. At the same time, it is a place where the MAS team engages in dialogue. With each other, with partners from the city or with heritage communities.

The Antarctic today

The exhibition also tells the story of Antarctica today. You will find out how scientists are still conducting groundbreaking scientific research there. This topical part of the exhibition was created in collaboration with the International Polar Foundation.

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.

Sarvavid Vairocana

The 54 preserved miniatures in this series together form a visual guide for meditation on a mandala. This is a depiction of the cosmos, in this case with Sarvavid Vairocana – the most important of the five heavenly or dhyani Buddhas.

Study painting First entry of Napoleon to Antwerp

Napoleon's visit to Antwerp in 1803 was a high point for the city on the Scheldt.  Joséphine de Beauharnais, Napoleon's wife, ordered a painting to immortalise the entry. This is a preliminary sketch for that.