114 BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG REGION BY REGION
Bruges: Groeninge Museum
. The Moreel
Triptych (1484)
Painted by German-born
artist Hans Memling, this
panel was designed to
adorn the altar in a
Bruges church. The
triptych is said to be one
of the earliest portaits
of a family group.
Death of Lord Byron (1826)
Four years before the Belgian Revolution,
Jozef Odevaere captured the mood of
romantic tragedy surrounding the poet’s
recent death in Greece in the cause of liberty.
. Death of
the Virgin (1470)
Hugo van der Goes’s
treatment of a popular and
emotionally charged subject
displays his imaginative use
of composition. It is also
remarkable for its
range of carefully
observed expressions.
STAR PAINTINGS. Death of the Virgin
. The Moreel Triptych
. Virgin and Child
with Canon
The city’s top fine-arts museum, the Groeninge
holds a fabulous collection of early Flemish
and Dutch masters, featuring artists such as Jan
van Eyck (c.1400–41) and Hieronymous Bosch
(1450–94), famous for the strange freakish crea-
tures of his moral allegories. Hugo van der Goes
(1440–82) is well represented too, as are Gerard
David (c.1460–1523) and Hans Memling (c.1433–94).
These early works are displayed on the ground
floor of the museum along with a collection of
later Belgian painters, most notably Paul Delvaux
(1897–1994) and René Magritte (1898–1967).
Originally built between 1929 and 1930, the
museum is small and displays its collection in
rotation along with various temporary exhibitions.
Museum Façade
This 1930 gallery was extended
in 1994 by architect Joseph
Viérin. The old entrance is based
on that of a Romanesque convent.For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp264–6 and pp288–91