KBR Museum in Brussels reopens with a celebration of manuscripts and music
The Museum of the Royal Library (KBR) in central Brussels reopens to the public on Friday, inviting visitors to explore its renowned collection of illuminated manuscripts and cultural treasures from the era of the Burgundian Dukes.
To mark the occasion, the museum is offering a festive opening weekend. “The programme includes music, wonder and experience, with lectures, concerts, workshops and a DJ set that brings the Burgundian world and its polyphonic sounds back to life," KBR says.
© KBR MUSEUM
Rich history
The museum tour begins in the 16th-century Nassau Chapel at the heart of the library. Its exhibition centres on the stunning illuminated manuscripts collected by the Burgundian dukes. “The often beautifully illuminated manuscripts are supplemented with a regularly changing selection of prints, paintings and sculptures from the KBR collections and those of several lenders. Together, they provide a lively and multi-layered image of a fascinating transitional period between the Middle Ages and the modern era,” according to KBR.
Flanders was a key centre for the intricate craft of manuscript illumination. This time-consuming and costly process was typically reserved for special works such as altar bibles or books commissioned by royalty. These “luxury manuscripts,” filled with vibrant medieval miniatures, feature fantastical creatures such as sirens, dragons and unicorns.
A highlight of the exhibition is the Library of the Dukes of Burgundy, once among the largest in Europe. At the time of Charles the Bold’s death, it held around a thousand manuscripts; today, about 400 survive, with 275 housed at KBR. “The Librije reflects the intellectual wealth of its time and covers all domains of science at the time. The manuscripts contain key texts from medieval literature and were illuminated by the greatest miniaturists of the 15th century,” the museum notes.
Music and art together
The museum also celebrates the Franco-Flemish polyphonists, the 15th- and 16th-century composers from the Low Countries who helped shape the soundscape of Renaissance Europe. “Polyphonic music was the cultural export product par excellence at that time. In the KBR museum, the rich musical tradition comes to life not only in images and stories but also in sound. From now on, you will experience the Golden Age with all your senses.”
© BELGA VIDEO MORGANE BERGER
Known as “Fiamminghi” in Italy, these composers were sought after by the courts of Popes and Emperors. Unlike Gregorian chant, in which all voices sing a single melody, polyphony layers multiple, independent vocal lines, sometimes even with different texts. The Franco-Flemish school mastered this complexity, creating harmonies of striking beauty.
Illuminated manuscript for the 'Cronicles of Hainaut' at the KBR Museum. © BELGA PHOTO DIRK WAEM
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