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Froissart's Chronicles

Jean Froissart was an historian of the 14th century who wrote in French. This copy of his Chronicles is a fine example of Flemish miniature art in the Middle Ages. The Chronicles are an important source of information about the Hundred Years War.

The Wenceslas Bible

The Wenceslas Bible is a two-volume manuscript of the text of the Bible, produced in 1402 and 1403. This luxury manuscript with its stunning ornamentation was commissioned by Conrad of Vechta, mint master of King Wenceslas IV of Bohemia. The two volumes were acquired in or after 1805. They are the finest examples of illuminated manuscripts in the collection formed by Plantin and the Moretus family.

The 36-line Gutenberg Bible

The 36-line Bible is a monument in the history of printing. The Augustinian monastery of Nuremberg donated this copy in 1514 to its new sister institution in Antwerp. When that monastery was closed in 1522 because of Lutheran sympathies, the Bible was put on the market. Nobody knows how it then ended up in Plantin’s library.

Octo missae

The Octo missae contains eight Mass settings by the Antwerp composer Georges de la Hèle. This monumental work was the first musical work to be printed by the Officina Plantiniana, in 1578.

Gerard Mercator, map of Flanders

The geographer Gerard Mercator revolutionised cartography. This map is a surprisingly accurate representation of the county of Flanders in 1540.

View of the Antwerp Roadstead

This print shows Antwerp in 1521, as seen from the place known at that time as Vlaams Hoofd and now as Linkeroever. It glorifies the city on the Scheldt as an important economic and cultural centre. A scroll or banderole near the Church of Our Lady reads ‘Antverpia mercatorum emporium’ (‘Antwerp: the merchants’ emporium’).

Christ carrying the cross

Anthony Van Dyck’s work is also represented in the Print Cabinet’s collection. This drawing of Christ Carrying the Cross is a preparatory study for his painting of the same name that is kept in St Paul’s Church, Antwerp. In it, Van Dyck demonstrates his mastery of dynamism.

Odysseus' ship stocked with provisions by Calypso

Jacob Jordaens was a gifted draughtsman and painter. Here he shows seven servants carrying supplies aboard Odysseus’ ship, under the gaze of the lovelorn nymph Calypso.

Allegory for Abraham Ortelius

This superb little drawing on parchment was done by Joris Hoefnagel in 1593 to commemorate his friendship with the cartographer and geographer Abraham Ortelius, as the inscriptions below inform us.

View of the city with poultry market

Filips Galle was one of the most important Antwerp print publishers of the 16th century. This print shows an everyday scene with a number of market stalls at which citizens are inspecting and buying poultry.