Maagdenhuismuseum

Museum Mayer van den Bergh
Houten Clara
“Houten Clara” (“Wooden Clara”) is a seventeenthcentury oak wood statue that once served as the
main column of a staircase in the orphanage’s front
building. It represents an orphan girl wearing a
uniform. This statue inspired Hendrik Conscience to
write his short novel “Houten Clara”.
Beg
ijne
nve
st
at
ersstra
Scherm
Opening hours
Ta
ba
ks
ve
st
H
Nationale Bank
12 24 1 13 290 500
Weekdays from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Weekends from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m.
Closed on Tuesdays and on the following
public holidays: 1 January, 1 May, Ascension Day, 11 November and 25 December.
Rates
Ticket price: 5 euro Reduced ticket price: 3 euro, 1 euro or free. These rates may vary in case of temporary exhibitions. Take a look at our website
for more detailed information on our rates and conditions.
Activities for visitors
Tours
Keen to book a tour for your colleagues, friends or relatives? We can organise
a tour for 12 to 20 persons.
Workshops for children
Schools or (cultural) associations can book a workshop for groups of ten
children each.
Follow us on Facebook!
www.facebook.com/Maagdenhuismuseum
Houten Clara (seventeenth century)
by an anonymous artist
Public Welfare Service Information Office
tel. 03 338 28 28
[email protected]
www.ocmw.antwerpen.be
2013007_st • Verantwoordelijke uitgever: Marc De Bens, Lange Gasthuisstraat 33, 2000 Antwerpen
“De Nood Gods” (“God’s Need”) by Jacob Jordaens is one of the main paintings
on display at Maagdenhuismuseum. It illustrates Christ being removed from
the cross and buried. The painting has been thoroughly restored, making the
colours stand out more than ever before.
Elzenveld
St.-J Sint-Elisabeth
oris
poo
rt
Leopoldplaats
estwg
Restored masterpiece: ‘De Nood Gods’
Maagdenhuismuseum
Mechels
The orphan girls ate from porridge bowls made of
Antwerp pottery (majolica). Specialists consider
these sixteenth-century ceramics the predecessors
of Delftware. The bowls were painted using various
colours and depict the busts of men, women and
saints. The 63 bowls on display were included in the
Flemish Masterpieces List in 2011.
33, Lange Gasthuisstraat
2000 Antwerp
Mechelseplein
tel. 03 338 26 20 | fax 03 338 91 31
[email protected]
www.maagdenhuismuseum.be
4 7
at
Leopoldstra
Porridge bowls
Theaterplein
Fr
an
kr
ijk
lei
Maagdenhuismuseum
Lange Gasthuisstraat
Showpieces
Maagdenhuismuseum
From majolica to Rubens
en vleesch, potagie, boterammen,
botermelk en aerdappelen of zoetemelk”
(meat broth, soup, sandwiches,
buttermilk and potatoes or sweetened
milk).
The art heritage owned by Antwerp’s
Public Welfare Centre is of high artistic and
documentary value.
It includes sensitive topics such as poverty,
the abandonment of babies, solidarity and care
for orphans and poverty-stricken people.
The Works of Mercy: feeding the hungry
by an anonymous artist
The collection
Orphanage for abandoned children Adèle Grisar (1921)
Maagdenhuis: heart-warming heritage
Maagdenhuismuseum (which translates as “Virgins’ House Museum”)
is a historical and inspiring museum that gives you a glimpse into how
abandoned children, orphans and poverty-stricken people were cared for in
Antwerp throughout the centuries. The museum has a unique art collection,
including paintings by masters such as Rubens, Van Dyck and Jordaens.
Moreover, it showcases beautiful sculptures, original pottery, antique
furniture and archival documents from various centuries.
From 1552 to 1882 Maagdenhuismuseum, then known as “Maagdenhuis”, was
an orphanage for girls (or “maegdeckens” in Dutch). It was a place where they
were educated, learned to sew and tat lace, and carried out housework. Orphan
boys were cared for at another facility, “Knechtjeshuis”.
The former chapel of the orphanage now is a repository for daily objects used by
the orphans:
• porridge bowls
• clothes and insignia worn by abandoned children
• embroidery samplers
• the house rules, including a description of the “noenmael” (lunch): “sop
Cover photo: De Nood Gods by Jacob Jordaens
Vertaling uit het Nederlands van de folder ‘Het Maagdenhuismuseum, Van majolica tot Rubens’ in het Engels.
The collection is extremely varied and includes paintings, decorative arts and an
archive. Everything is stored and displayed in a discrete and intimate setting,
an oasis of peace and serenity in the centre of the busy and trendy city of
Antwerp. The collection and archive are a tangible testimony
to the history of Antwerp’s Public Welfare Centre and its
predecessors.
This collection includes daily objects as well as:
• paintings by Peter Paul Rubens, Jacob Jordaens,
Anthony van Dyck, Pieter Aertsen, Maarten de
Vos and Maarten Pepyn, among others
• sculptures by Huybrecht van den Eynde and
Walter Pompe, among others
• pottery made in Antwerp, including the
famous sixteenth-century majolica porridge
bowls
• antique furniture
• sixteenth- to twentieth-century stained
glass (roundel) windows
• archival documents, including the oldest
known seal of the city of Antwerp, dating
back to 1233
Faustina by Huibrecht Van den Eynde (1594-1661)
Fine architecture
The museum is based in a historical building that dates back to the sixteenth
and seventeenth centuries, which the city of Antwerp once used to organise
care for the poor. The building is now a listed monument. Together with its
beautiful inner courtyard this unique complex is the ideal location to store and
showcase the heritage of the Public Welfare Centre.

Download Report