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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.

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.

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.

MAS-collection on the Belgian coast

The NAVIGO Fisheries Museum in Oostduinkerke reopened its doors on 7 September 2024. The MAS gave some remarkable pieces on loan.

Collection news

An object leaves on a trip to another museum, another undergoes research. Or a special piece is recognised as a Flemish Masterpiece. Or our collection expands.

Pictures by Raoul Van Den Boom

Thousands of unique images from photographer Raoul Van Den Boom show the artistic and social life in Antwerp between 1950 and 1980. Some photographs from the immense collection are now on display, some others can be viewed digitally.

A glimpse of the collection

FREE ENTRANCE | The MAS collection numbers almost 600,000 pieces. Part of it can be admired in the exhibitions, the rest is carefully stored in various depots. In the free accessible Visible Storage, you can take a peek behind the scenes. Varied and surprising partial presentations provide a constantly changing view of the collection.

On the origins and future

The results of the provenance research have been published in the online publication “About provenance and future.”

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