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.
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.
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.
The MAS' largest and most impressive collection pieces can be seen on the Scheldt quays. And just in front of the MAS, you almost bump into the showpiece of our collection.
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.
The ancient glass collection is one of the hidden gems at the MAS. It's part of a valuable glass collection numbering nearly 700 objects. For the first time the subcollection of ancient glass is published in a comprehensive catalogue.
We are happy to lend our collection to make it known to a wider audience, to encourage new research on the collection and to foster the connection with the heritage community.