Those who could afford to imitate the lordships liked to surround themselves with contemporary art. Nicolaas Rockox was such a man. His private home has been reconstructed as an ‘art room’.

If we want to visit the locations for which religious paintings were destined for, we cannot skip the churches, but here we present you another opportunity.

You should understand that our concept of ‘museum’ as a public space did not exist in the 17th century. The wealthy citizens who could afford to imitate the lordships surrounded themselves with art of their time. Such a man was Nicolaas Rockox; his portrait by Otto Van Veen welcomes you in this historic and reconstructed house.

Even though many of its original, inventoried, works of art are no longer here, the Snijders&Rockox House has tried – with success – to evoke the atmosphere of the time, by showing authentic pieces. It also enables us to admire teacher and apprentice together in one location.

Rubens painted the official portraits of archdukes Albert and Isabella; we also find his own engraved portrait. Anthony van Dyck painted his colleague Frans Snijders and bishop Joannes Malderus (on loan from KMSKA). Joos de Momper II specialized in landscape scenes; they became the actual subject of the painting, instead of just being used as the background. We ‘d like to look now at some of the smaller portrait studies.