Museum aan het Vrijthof

Museum aan het Vrijthof

Part of the arcade with portrait medallions

The Museum aan het Vrijthof (previously: Museum Spaans Gouvernement) is a museum of (local) history, art and artifacts in Maastricht, The Netherlands.

History of the building

The museum is housed in the Spanish Government building, one of the oldest non-religious buildings in Maastricht, on the city's main square, Vrijthof. The building was originally part of the ecclesiastical territory of the chapter of the church of Saint Servatius and was probably built for one of the chapter's canons. In the early 16th century the house was rebuilt and enlarged. The three late-Gothic windows on the first floor date from this period. Two of them carry the motto of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor: 'Plus ultra'. The third window carries the symbols of Habsburg power: the double-headed eagle and the coat of arms of Habsburg and Castile. A little later, an arcade in Liège Renaissance style was added on the side of the courtyard. The colonnade frieze has three sculpted medallions with the portraits of (probably) Charles V, his wife Isabella of Portugal and their son Philip II of Spain, who stayed here at several occasions. It was probably here that Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma and Governor of the Netherlands, signed the declaration that made William the Silent, leader of the Dutch Revolt, an outlaw. It was during this period that the building acquired its name Spanish Government building (Dutch: Spaans Gouvernement).

In the early 20th century, part of the building was demolished and replaced by a building that is now in use as a bank (corner St Jacobstraat). From 1969-1973 a thorough restoration took place.

The museum

In 1954, the wealthy The Hague based couple Fré Wagner and Broos de Wit bequeathed their art collection to a foundation based in the city of Maastricht. Since 1973 the Wagner-De Wit collection has been on display in what was then called Museum Spaans Gouvernement. The pavilion room in the courtyard was specifically built to house valuable boiseries from a demolished 18th century Maastricht mansion. Some of the period rooms decorated in the so-called Liège Régence style, are used for functions.

In late 2010 the museum closed for renovations and extensions. The renovation includes a partial restoration of the original front of the Spanish Government building, which had a largely blind facade and a gate. The extension consists of adding a neighboring building to the museum's exhibition space, as well as roofing over the courtyard. The enlarged building will be about two and a half times bigger than the current premises. The museum is expected to re-open in the Spring of 2012.

The collection

The museum's permanent collection largely consists of the Wagner-De Wit bequest. The original collection, brought together by the artistic couple, contained art and artifacts from a wide array of periods and regions. The emphasis was on Dutch and Flemish painting from the 17th century (Dirck van Baburen, Adriaen van de Venne, Cornelius van Poelenburgh, Johannes Lingelbach, Egbert van der Poel, Nicolaes Moeyaert, Nicolaes Berchem, Lodewijk de Vadder, Jacques d'Arthois, Pieter Casteels III) and paintings from the Hague School (Jozef Israëls, Johan Hendrik Weissenbruch, George Hendrik Breitner and the brothers Jacob, Matthijs and Willem Maris). The couple also collected sculpture from the Middle Ages and Renaissance period, tapestries and furniture from the 16th, 17th and 18th century, glass and crystal objects, antique coins, and artifacts from the Far East.

Over the years, the collection has expanded to include Maastricht silver from the 18th century, Maastricht and Liège pistols from the 18th and 19th century, and Maastricht painting from the early 20th century. Since 1997 the Bonhomme-Tielens bequest (mainly Maastricht silver and antique clocks) is part of the museum collection.

• 

  Period room

• 

  18th c. showcase cabinet with Maastricht silver

• 

  Maastricht silver, 18th c.

• 

  Glass and earthenware (17th/18th c.)

Bibliography

• Timmer, J.J.M., Geschiedenis van het Spaans Gouvernement te Maastricht. Maastricht, 1973

External links

• Website Museum aan het Vrijthof (in Dutch and English)

Coordinates: 50°50′34″N 5°42′09″E / 50.84278°N 5.7025°E / 50.84278; 5.7025