Flanders 2023

We've been in Belgium in September 2023 for ten very enjoyable and instructive days spent in Flanders, the Dutch speaking part of this country.

After three days on the coast to visit Bruges, we based ourselves in Dendermonde and explored the cities of Ghent and Antwerp plus a day trip to Brussels.

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Thinking of our next destination: Italy and Portugal come to mind, or maybe the time has finally come for a US road trip…

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Antwerp: the Snijders and Rockox House

(vero;2023-Oct-11)

Frans Snijders (1579-1657) was an Antwerp draughtsman and painter whose speciality was painting still lifes and animals. He started as a pupil of Hendrick van Balen the Elder and Pieter Bruegel (the Younger), working closely with the latter's brother Jan Bruegel the Younger who became his mentor. He was well established in the Antwerp art scene, working with the likes of Cornelis de Vos (he married his sister Margaretha), Jacques Jordaens the Elder, Peter Paul Rubens and became quite successful, a well-known figure in Antwerp and also a sought-after painter in England. He bought his patrician house De Fortuyne in Keizerstraat aged 41 and became neighbour of his friend Nicolaas Rockox.

Nicolaas Rockox (1560-1640) lived next door to De Fortuyne in a house named Den Gulden Rinck. An affluent and respected character, he was engaged in Antwerp's politics and became mayor of the city. He was also a patron of the arts (he was a mecene for Pieter Paul Rubens), a prolific collector, humanist and philanthropist and his house was a centre for the local humanists and artists of the time.

The Snijders & Rockox Huis Museum is housed mostly in Rockox's Den Gulden Rinck and is home to his collection. The works of Snijders are displayed in part of the De Fortuyne house. Watch this video about the museum for a short introduction of what is on display. The museum is a shrine to Flemish art of the 16th/17th century and really worth seeing. Click here for practical information on opening hours and prices. You can also download a pdf guide describing most paintings and objects exhibited in the museum by following this link.

The Fishmonger by Frans Snijders (1579-1657). Click here for a full view of the painting.

Still life by the Sea by Jan Fyt (1611-1661). Fyt was a pupil of Frans Snijders (see previous picture) and became one of the leading still life and animaliers of the 17th century.

Detail of Bird Concert by Jan Fyt (1611-1661). Click here for a full view of the painting.

Alabaster medaillon of the Virgin with Child.

Meal of the Lords of Liere at Antwerp (anonymous). The painting composition recalls representations of the Last Supper; it is a copy of the original painting (1523) which can be seen in Utrecht (Netherlands).

Interior of the Antwerp Jesuit church by Wilhelm Schubert van Ehrenberg (17th century). This painting is a loan from the Rubens House Museum (closed for renovation until 2027).

The Ommegang (medieval pageant) on the Meir in Antwerp by Alexander van Bredael (1697).

Detail of a Map of Europe by Abraham Ortelius. Ortelius was a cartographer and compiled the first modern atlas. The final edition of 1595 contained 115 maps and included two maps dedicated to Nicolaas Rockox. Click here for a full view of the map.

Portraits of the Archduke Albert and Infanta Isabella by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640). Theirs was a political marriage. Albert was the son of Emperor Maximilian II of Austria and married his cousin Isabella, daughter of King Philip II of Spain in an attempt to maintain Spanish influence over the region. However, the Northern Netherlands did not recognise Spanish sovereignty and so in practice they only ruled over the Southern Netherlands (more or less modern Belgium).

The Holy Virgin with the Child Jesus by Quinten Metsijs (1466-1530). Click here for a full view of the painting.

Panel of a mid-17th century cabinet made of rosewood and ebony and inlaid with ivory representing Adam and Eve. Click here for a full view of the cabinet.

Study of Jupiter's head for the painting Jupiter and Antiope by Anthony van Dyck (ca.1620) which can be seen in the MSK Museum, Ghent. Click here for a full view of this study. This painting is a loan from the Rubens House Museum (closed for renovation until 2027)

Two studies of a man's head by Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641). Click here for a full view of the painting.

Detail of Allegory of Sight (in a picture gallery) by Jan van Kessel. Click here for a full view of the painting.

The Holy Trinity, with God the Father supporting Christ, Workshop of Rogier v d Weyden, ca. 1435. Click here for a full view of the painting.

The Miracle of the Loaves and the Fishes by Lambert Lombard (1505-1566). Click here for a full view of the painting.

Illustration of Dutch Proverbs by Pieter II Bruegel (the Younger) (1564-1638). Check this Wikipedia page for a list and picture of all proverbs featured in the painting (126 in total). Click here for a full view of the painting.

Detail of Proverbs by Pieter II Bruegel (the Younger) (see previous picture). This one illustrates the saying "to be pissing against the moon" ie to waste one's time on a futile endeavour. The pot hanging from the window is for "here hangs the pot", meaning: it is the opposite of what it should be. Source: Wikipedia.

Detail of Proverbs by Pieter II Bruegel (the Younger) (see picture no 16). On the left: "to crap on the world" ie to despise everything. On the right: "to lead each other by the nose" ie to fool each other. On the window sill, the dices illustrate the saying: "the die is cast" (the decision is made) and the cards remind us that "fools get the best cards" (luck can overcome intelligence). Source: Wikipedia).

Card Players in a Tavern by David Teniers the Younger (1610-1690). Click here for a full view of the painting.

Village Feast by Hans Bol (1534-1593). Click here for a full view of the painting.

The Money Lender by Marinus van Reymerswale (1490-1546). Click here for a full view of the painting.

Detail of the Money Lender by Martinus van Reymerswale (see previous picture).

Detail of Allegory of the City of Antwerp by Theodor Boeyermans (1654). Click here for a full view of the painting.

Portrait of a Musical Family (Duarte Family) by Gonzales Coques, 1653. Click here for a full view of the painting.

Go back to Antwerp: the Mayer van den Bergh Museum or go on to Antwerp: the Plantin-Moretus Museum or go up to Antwerp Major Museums