After studying abroad and with luthier Jacques Bernard in Liège, Jan Strick took over Maison Bernard in 1986 with bow maker Pierre Guillaume. They set up shop in Brussels from the outset. In recent years, Jan’s son Matthijs has joined the team, which has earned the father and son an international award under the motto ‘Family is sustainability‘.
An essential part of the Brussels landscape and a flagship monument of eclecticism designed by Joseph Poelaert, the Palace of Justice (1866-1883) is like an imaginary ancient city covering around 80,000 m2. As we explore the long corridors, stairs, and galleries, we will discover courtrooms and works of renowned artists. Due to its popularity, we will have the same visit as in March.
We will start our day by visiting the City Hall and discovering the history of the city. Then, while strolling towards the Lys, we will visit the Notre Dame Church, the Chapel of the Counts of Flanders, and the charming Beguinage founded in 1241. After lunch, we will take a short walk along the Lys to visit the Texture Museum, or linen museum, for a little digestive stroll.
Discovering musical instruments in the low reliefs, statues, or vases of the collections of the Royal Museums of Art and History. From Vishnu’s conch shell to the aulos of Greek vases, from the Indonesian gamelan to the drums of Laos, from the figurines of the Sui-Tang dynasty to the Campana plates… As guides to talk about art, history, and music: Claire Chantrenne and Paul Soyeur.
Since ancient times, wine has had a mysterious, magical, and divine character in the collective imagination. For the Ancients, Dionysus was the deified wine, and it could drive people insane. The art of drinking was considered a criterion of civilization. We offer you a tour of the museum’s permanent collections, from antiquity to the Renaissance, from the perspective of wine, its history and anthropology, from myths and practices in Mesopotamia and ancient Greece, to the foundations and Christian customs of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
Expedition Egypt narrates the story of two centuries of fascinating archaeological discoveries in the Land of the Pharaohs and the development of the Egyptian collection of the museum. The exhibition brings together more than two hundred objects from its eminent Egyptian collection. Highlights include the sumptuously decorated coffins from the priestly cache of Deir el-Bahari, and the beautifully illustrated Book of the Dead of the dignitary Neferrenpet. In addition, a wide variety of stunning pieces from the collection will be shown to the public for the very first time. Objects like funerary stelae, canopic vases for the entrails of the deceased, and shabti figurines meant to accompany the dead in the afterlife, will introduce the visitors to the Egyptian world of the gods and eternal life. The exhibition will also be richly provided with unique historical photographic material.