All posts from: Art & History Museum

Masterpieces: The Broken Ear
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This statuette became world-famous thanks to Hergé, who incorporated it in his eponymous Tintin comic The Broken Ear.

Masterpieces: Armillarium
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Armillary sphere (consisting of several rings or armillae in Latin) is a model of objects in the sky on the celestial sphere. These representations of the universe were a popular fixture in cabinets of curiosities and were used to demonstrate the motion of the stars around the earth.

Masterpieces: Unku
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This high-quality tunic is typical of the productions from the south of Peru during the Inca period.

Masterpieces: Mysterious Sphinx
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‘Mysterious sphinx’ is the best-known work of the Belgian sculptor Charles Van der Stappen and an icon of Symbolism and Art Nouveau. Van der Stappen created this work for the Hall of Honour at the Colonial Exhibition in Tervuren in 1897.

Masterpieces: Death Mask
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The first masks covering a mummy’s head and shoulders date from the Middle Kingdom. They were probably used as a substitute of the dead person’s head, representing the senses that were vital for one’s existence in the afterlife.

Masterpieces: Drinking Horn
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In the Early Middle Ages, the dead were often buried with grave goods. This drinking horn was possibly found in a burial ground in Anderlecht, during excavations. The former owner found it in the attic of his grandfather, who was a notary in Brussels. The museum acquired the item in 2010.