MASTERPIECE

The Mouscron couple gift this sculpture to the Church of Our Lady in Bruges in 1514, on condition that it remain there in perpetuity. Unfortunately, it is looted twice. The statue is taken to Paris in 1794, during the French Revolution. It only returns following Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo in 1816. During the Second World War, on the night of 6–7 September 1944, German soldiers wrap the statue in a mattress and take it from the church, together with 11 valuable paintings. Hitler wants to the works of art for his future museum in Linz. In anticipation of this, the Germans hide nearly 8,000 objects in a salt mine in Altaussee, Austria. When The Monuments Men discover the spot on 16 May 1945, they gather all the artworks in Munich. From there, a transport leaves for Brussels where the Madonna is temporarily exhibited in the Museum of Fine Arts. After some modest ceremonies in November 1945 to celebrate the return, the Madonna moves permanently back to the Church of Our Lady in Bruges.

This artwork is the property of the Church of Our Lady in Bruges and is managed by Musea Brugge.