In 1873, the Antwerp Museum of Antiquities purchased a 16th-century retable of the Averbode Abbey, depicting the Lamentation of Christ. 150 years later, it is given on long-term loan to the abbey and thus returns home.
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.
Abram Spiwak decided to follow his beloved Sophie to America. He did not have valid papers, but he tried his luck with the financial support of his family.
The well-being of our visitors and employees is very important to us. We ensure a safe and relaxing museum visit, but we do ask you to take and follow some precautions.
You could admire these collection pieces in other exhibitions, both in domestic and foreign museums. An overview of the objects we gave on loan in the past.
The Antwerp Hand biscuits are the most well-known tourist souvenir from the city. In the MAS collection, we find many packagings of the biscuits. However, behind the scenes of the little biscuit, there is more than one story to tell.
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.
