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Maagdenhuis Museum
51°12′52″N 4°24′21″E / 51.214390°N 4.405730°E
The Maagdenhuis Museum (Maidens' House Museum) is an art museum and historical museum located in a 17th-century historic building on Lange Gasthuisstraat, Antwerp, Belgium. The building was used as an orphanage for the maegdeckens, or maidens, from the mid-16th century to the end of the 19th century. The museum presents a collection of utensils used daily by the foundlings and the orphans; a collection of antique furniture, and a series of documents relating to the orphanage and the life in it from the 16th century to 19th century.
Although one of the smallest museums in Antwerp, the Maagdenhuis houses a valuable and rich collection of paintings and sculptures. The collection includes works by artists such as Peter Paul Rubens, Jacob Jordaens, Pieter Aertsen, Otto van Veen, Simon De Vos, Maarten Pepijn, Huibrecht van den Eynde, and Walter Pompe.
The museum is located in a historic building dating from the sixteenth century. It was formerly an orphanage for young girls. The building started to function as an orphanage for little girls in 1552. The Maagdenhuis (Maidens' house) was significantly expanded in 1634–1636. Today's white stone façade was built during the 1634-1636 renovation. The façade's bas-relief was probably designed by Cornelis Floris de Vriendt and dates back to 1564. It portrays a group of orphaned girls (bottom left) and a teacher leading them into the orphanage (right). These two scenes are flanked by a pair of guarding Hermes figures, overhung by God, Christ as the Good Shepherd, and an allegorical dove. In 1882 the orphans moved to two new and larger buildings on Albert Grisarstraat Street, which replaced the Maidens’ House and the Boys’ Orphanage. The Maidens’ House finally closed and the building remained vacant. The larger buildings on Albert Grisarstraat Street were replaced by smaller institutions in the 20th century.
Over the centuries, all these charitable institutions accumulated a bunch of artwork received as gifts and bequests from rich benefactors. The administrators of the two orphanages, the Board of Civilian Almshouses, moved 84 paintings to the former chapel of the Maidens’ House, which opened in 1884 as a museum.
However, most of the collection was moved to the Museum of Fine Arts a few years later.
Finally, in 1925 the Commission of Civilian Almhouses, overseeing the orphanages, merged with the Office of Charity. The newfound organization (the Commissie van Openbare Onderstand, or COO) found itself with a huge art collection and decided to turn the chapel of the Lange Gasthuisstraat's building into a museum, which was opened in 1930.
The museum gradually expanded its collection in the following decades, with the Royal Museum of Fine Arts returning several masterpieces to the Maaggdenhuis over the years.
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Maagdenhuis Museum
51°12′52″N 4°24′21″E / 51.214390°N 4.405730°E
The Maagdenhuis Museum (Maidens' House Museum) is an art museum and historical museum located in a 17th-century historic building on Lange Gasthuisstraat, Antwerp, Belgium. The building was used as an orphanage for the maegdeckens, or maidens, from the mid-16th century to the end of the 19th century. The museum presents a collection of utensils used daily by the foundlings and the orphans; a collection of antique furniture, and a series of documents relating to the orphanage and the life in it from the 16th century to 19th century.
Although one of the smallest museums in Antwerp, the Maagdenhuis houses a valuable and rich collection of paintings and sculptures. The collection includes works by artists such as Peter Paul Rubens, Jacob Jordaens, Pieter Aertsen, Otto van Veen, Simon De Vos, Maarten Pepijn, Huibrecht van den Eynde, and Walter Pompe.
The museum is located in a historic building dating from the sixteenth century. It was formerly an orphanage for young girls. The building started to function as an orphanage for little girls in 1552. The Maagdenhuis (Maidens' house) was significantly expanded in 1634–1636. Today's white stone façade was built during the 1634-1636 renovation. The façade's bas-relief was probably designed by Cornelis Floris de Vriendt and dates back to 1564. It portrays a group of orphaned girls (bottom left) and a teacher leading them into the orphanage (right). These two scenes are flanked by a pair of guarding Hermes figures, overhung by God, Christ as the Good Shepherd, and an allegorical dove. In 1882 the orphans moved to two new and larger buildings on Albert Grisarstraat Street, which replaced the Maidens’ House and the Boys’ Orphanage. The Maidens’ House finally closed and the building remained vacant. The larger buildings on Albert Grisarstraat Street were replaced by smaller institutions in the 20th century.
Over the centuries, all these charitable institutions accumulated a bunch of artwork received as gifts and bequests from rich benefactors. The administrators of the two orphanages, the Board of Civilian Almshouses, moved 84 paintings to the former chapel of the Maidens’ House, which opened in 1884 as a museum.
However, most of the collection was moved to the Museum of Fine Arts a few years later.
Finally, in 1925 the Commission of Civilian Almhouses, overseeing the orphanages, merged with the Office of Charity. The newfound organization (the Commissie van Openbare Onderstand, or COO) found itself with a huge art collection and decided to turn the chapel of the Lange Gasthuisstraat's building into a museum, which was opened in 1930.
The museum gradually expanded its collection in the following decades, with the Royal Museum of Fine Arts returning several masterpieces to the Maaggdenhuis over the years.