DK Travel : Brussels, Bruges, Antwerp and Ghent : Two Museums of Bruges

Two Museums of Bruges

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These two museums contain some of the world’s finest examples of late medieval art, presenting a treasured selection of work by artists such as Jan van Eyck (c.1390–1441) and Hans Memling (1435–94). The two museums are on separate sites, a short distance apart. The Groeningemuseum is a small and charming gallery with a radical edge. The Memlingmuseum is part of the old and recently renovated Sint-Janshospitaal – the medieval hospital that commissioned Memling’s paintings for the very chapel in which they can still be seen.
For Jacob van Oost’s Portrait of a Bruges Family (see Bruges)

Top 10 Paintings

1. The Last Judgment

Hieronymus Bosch (c.1450–1516) is famous for his nightmarish paintings of spiritual anguish, torture and hell. This example is a perplexing insight into the religious psyche of the times.
2. The Judgment of Cambyses

In 1488, Bruges ill-advisedly imprisoned Maximilian, governor of the Low Countries. This large diptych by Gerard David depicting the gruesome flaying of a corrupt judge was commissioned for the town hall as a sort of public apology.
3. Secret-Reflet

This classic Symbolist work of 1902 by Fernand Khnopff (1858–1921) includes an image of the Sint-Janshospitaal. The title refers to the play on the word “reflection” in the two images.
4. The Legend of St Ursula

This series of panels by the “Master of the Saint Ursula Legend” tells the popular medieval tale of St Ursula and her company of 11,000 virgins, cruelly martyred in pagan Germany.
5. The Moreel Triptych

Willem Moreel, the burgomaster of Bruges, commissioned this work from Hans Memling in 1484. Moreel is depicted in the left-hand panel, his wife in the right.
6. Portrait of a Bruges Family

In the 16th century, Antwerp became the new centre of trade and culture; but Bruges still retained a certain level of prosperity and dignity, as witnessed in this delightful family portrait by Jacob van Oost the Elder.
7. The Virgin and Child with Canon van der Paele

The supreme masterpiece of the collection was painted in 1436 by Jan van Eyck. The detail is astonishing.
8. The St Ursula Shrine

Completed by Hans Memling in 1479, this metre-long reliquary depicts the Legend of St Ursula in 14 exquisitely detailed panels.
9. The Triptych with Sts John the Baptist and John the Evangelist

Painted by Memling in 1479, this work celebrates the two St Johns, patron saints of the Sint-Janshospitaal.
10. The Adoration of the Magi

This smaller work, also displayed in the chapel of the Memlingmuseum, is another painted by Memling in 1479. It is known as the Jan Floreins Triptych after the patron, seen kneeling on the left of the central panel.

Practical Information

The Groeninge-museum is only a short walk from the centre of town, where there is a wide choice of cafés and restaurants (see Cafés, Tearooms and Bars). If you intend to see several of the Bruges museums, it’s worth asking at the tourist office in the Burg if a Combination Ticket is available. Normally this allows the holder to visit five city museums – including these two – for about €15. Groeningemuseum: Dijver 12 050 44 87 11 Open 9:30am–5pm Tue–Sun Admission: €8 (children under 13 free) Memlingmuseum: Mariastraat 38 Open 9:30am–5pm Tue–Sun Admission: €8 (children under 13 free)