Maastricht Silver Collection Bonnefantenmuseum

For art lovers is a visit to the Maastricht Silver Collection Bonnefantenmuseum a must. In other words, after entering the museum, you can enjoy the permanent Collection of Silver Objects made in Maastricht.

Bonnefantenmuseum

As the present museum is located at the river Maas, it is overlooking the old town from east. The site is a former industrial spot named ‘Céramique’. As the Italian architect Aldo Rossi designed the building, it is also one of most prominent modern buildings in Maastricht. The name “Bonnefanten” is derived from the French words ‘bons enfants’ meaning : ‘good children’.

Collection

The combination of old- and contemporary art under one roof results to the modern character of the institution. On the first floor of the building you find the department of Golden Age Collection Bonnefantenmuseum. Here the museum displays highlights of Dutch, Italian, Flemish painters. You can detect works of art for example by Peter Paul Rubens.
The painter Henri de Fromantiou is also represented in the collection. This local artist produced works for the art dealer Gerrit van Uylenburgh in Amsterdam. Henri de Fromantiou was later in his life active as artist and painter in The Hague.

The museum’s major collection of medieval sculptures and paintings is also located on the same floor. By strolling through the museum, you can detect religious works of art from leading European workshops. Some of the displayed artist is the femisch born Pieter Coecke van Aelst. His principal subjects are Christian religious themes. Furthermore, he worked as a painter mainly in Antwerp and Brussels.

Maastricht silver Collection Bonnefantenmuseum

Maastricht silver is a collective name for silver objects produced in Maastricht, Netherlands, mainly in the 17th and 18th centuries, when the town was a major centre for silversmithing.
In Maastricht, from the 16th century until the early 19th century a considerable number of silversmiths were active.They were united in the guild of Saint Eligius, which via the apprentice tradition controlled the transmission of tools and techniques from generation to generation. The silver-working guild checked each piece of silver before it was stamped with three silver hallmarks: The city hallmark, a five-pointed star, indicated the quality of the silver guaranteed by the town of Maastricht. A second hallmark, the year letter, indicated the bi-annual period it was made in. The third hallmark was the mark of the silversmith.

Maastricht silver – History

The oldest known piece stamped with the Maastricht hallmark is the so-called arm of Saint Thomas, a 15th-century silver reliquary in the shape of an arm, now in the Treasury of the Basilica of Saint Servatius in Maastricht. Unfortunately, very little is left from this period. After the Siege of Maastricht (1579) the Spanish troops ransacked the city for three days and took anything made of gold or silver.[3] Some silver chalices and monstrances from the 17th century have survived. With the arrival of the French revolutionary troops in 1794, the medieval trade system was discarded of and the guild of Saint Eligius dissolved.

Easy to reach

Bonnefantenmuseum is located in south part of Maastricht at the river Maas. The building is directly visible, as the architectural focal point is a rocket-shaped structure overlooking water.
You arrive to Bonnefantenmuseum within 15 minutes, by walking along the river Maas from Bourgogne Suite Maastricht ,