Antwerp

Antwerp Madonna

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Madonna statue in the Lady Chapel in the North Transept. Antwerp Cathedral. IMG_9869

Elevation of the Cross

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Antwerp Cathedral. Elevation of the Cross, by Peter Paul Rubens. A triptych, painted in 1610. On the right panel, the thieves are about to be crucified; on the left panel, women exhibit anguish and horror. "In the N. transept is Rubens's Elevation of the Cross, painted in 1610, soon after his return from a residence of eight years in Italy and while the master was still under the influence of Michael Angelo (also in Paris from 1794 to 1816). On the right wing is a group of Roman soldiers, with their centurion, on the left are the Virgin, St. John, and a group of mourning women. The Descent from the Cross is the most magnificent of these celebrated pictures. The white linen on which the body of the Saviour lies is a peculiar and very effective feature in the composition, usually said to be borrowed from a similar work by Daniele da Volterra at Rome. The principal figure itself is admirably conceived and carefully drawn, and the attitude extremely expressive of the utter inertness of a dead body. Two of the three Maries are more attractive than is usual with Rubens's female figures, but the flabby countenance of Joseph of Arimathea exhibits neither sentiment nor emotion. The arrangement of the whole is most masterly and judicious, the figures not too ponderous, and the colouring rich and harmonious, while a degree of sentiment is not wanting, so that this work is well calculated to exhibit Rubens's wonderful genius in the most favourable light."--Baedeler 1910. DSC_0122p1

Ambulatory

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Antwerp Cathedral. Fourteenth-century decoration revealed on a pillar in the Ambuatory. DSC_0126

Jan Moretus and Martina Plantin

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Tombstone of Jan Moretus (1543-1610) and his wife, Martina Plantin (1550-1616). "4th Chapel: ... the tombstone of Plantin, with inscription by Justus Lipsius."--Baedeker 1910. IMG_9871

Chapel of St. Joseph

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Antwerp Cathedral. Chapel of St Joseph altarpiece. In the central niche of the retable is a statue of Saint Joseph with the infant Jesus on his arm carved by Jan-Baptist De Boeck and Jan-Baptist Van Wint in 1871. Around it, seven polychrome tableaus evoke scenes from the life of Jesus. The most striking one is of a young Jesus learning his foster father’s craft: Jesus, on his knees, is holding a pair of compasses and is looking up at Joseph, who is planning boards at his bench. While behind Joseph is a rack with carpenter’s tools, there is also a shelf with books behind Mary. She is praying from a book, which does not prevent her from watching her growing child. The painted wings by Louis Hendrickx (1873) draw attention to their astonishing details and the warm hues of textiles. In the upper sections, they illustrate the patronage of Saint Joseph: on the left (iconographically right) Pope Pius proclaims him patron of the Church, and on the right, King Charles II of Spain dedicates the Southern Low Countries to him in 1679. DSC_0127

Tree of Jesse

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Antwerp Cathedral. Chapel of Saint Joseph – The Tree of Jesse Rose Window (1870).

Descent From the Cross

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Descent from the Cross, by Petr Paul Rubens. A triptych, painted in 1611-1614. "The S. Transcept entered from the Place Verte, contains Rubens's far-famed masterpiece, the Descent from the Cross, a winged picture, painted in 1611-14 (in Paris from 1794 to 1816; restored in 1852). On the inside of the wings are the Salutation, and the Presentation in the Temple, on the outside St. Christopher carrying the Infant Saviour, and a hermit. The Mary in a blue robe and the figure with a basket in the wings are portraits of the master's first wife and his daughter respectively. For this picture the painter received 2400 fl. and a small piece of ground to round off his estate."--Baedeker 1910. DSC_0134

God Glorified by the Arts

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Antwerp Cathedral. God Glorified by the Arts, stained glass window by Jean-Baptiste Bethune, 1872. "In the S. Transept: Large stained glass window after J. Bethune, The Patron Saints of the Arts (1870)".--Baedeker 1910. DSC_0135

The Man Who Bears the Cross

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De man die het kruis draagt - The Man Who Bears the Cross. Bronze and silicone sculpture by contemporary artist Jan Fabre (2015). It is a self-portrait of the artist surveying a large cross that he balances in the palm of his hand. The last time the cathedral acquired a new piece of art was in 1924. IMG_9875

Well of Quinten Matsijs

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Water well of Quinten Matsijs. Quinten Matsijs (1466-1530) was a blacksmith and painter and a founder of the Antwerp School. He made the "putkevie" (a decorated wrought iron gate on a well) that depicts the legend of Silvius Brabo and Druon Antigoon. Handschoenmarkt. "In the Marché-aux-Gants (Handschoen-Markt), opposite the door of the tower, is the so-called Matsys Well, protected by a Gothic canopy of wrought iron, and surmounted by a statuette of Salvius Brabo. It dates from the end of the 15th cent. and is said to have been executed by Quinten Matsys ( d . 1529 ), 'in synen tyt grofsmidt, en daernaer famues schilder' ('at one time a blacksmith, afterwards a famous painter'), according to the inscription on his tombstone, which was formerly immured opposite the well and is now replaced by a copy (original in the Academy).--Baedeker 1910. DSC_0139

Pelgrimstraat

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Antwerp Cathedral tower from Pelgrimstraat. Rooden Hooed at the right. The painter Quinten Matsijs (1466-1530) lived here. It became an inn in 1750 and is a restaurant today. DSC_0143

Marian Shrine

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Marian Shrine at Oude Koornmarkt and Pelgrimstraat. Many such corner shines to Mary are in Antwerp, owing to a devotion to the Virgin Mary that developed in Antwerp under Spanish rule in the 17th century. DSC_0140

Vlaeykensgang Archway

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A Vlaeykensgang archway connects two courtyards. DSC_0144

Vlaeykensgang House

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House tucked away in Vlaeykensgang. DSC_0145

Vlaeykensgang

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Vlaeykensgang entrance. Oude Koornmarkt, 16. DSC_0147

Waffle Maker

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Waffle stall in Oude Koornmarkt, Antwerp. DSC_0151

Belgian Waffles

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Waffle stall in Oude Koornmarkt. These are Brussels or Liège waffles. DSC_0149

Belgian Chocolates

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Belgian Chocolates in an Antwerp shop. IMG_9878

Hansa House

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Hansa Huis - Hansa House. Office building built in 1897-1891. Suikerrui 5. DSC_0157

Steenplein

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Steenplein along the River Schledt. THe Ferris wheel is known as The View. IMG_9882

Antwerp at Night

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Antwerp at night with Het Stren and the Cathedral illuminated. IMG_9886