Stained-glass windows. Paintings and sculpture. Precious gold and silver artefacts, textiles, printed matter... The spirit of the neo-Gothic in Bruges prevails throughout the 19th century. In their workshops and studios artists and craftsmen return to examples from the Christian, Gothic Middle Ages, encouraged by the Catholic Church. This reflects demand from their Catholic customers.
Famous Bruges glaziers, makers of stained-glass windows, include father Henri and son Jules Dobbelaere. Here you can see a few neo-Gothic examples designed and produced in their workshop. Their production was enormous, especially in Jules' time: destined for churches and chapels in Bruges and abroad, all the way to America and the Far East. Neo-Gothic churches are examples of Gesamtkunstwerk: they form a single whole and stained-glass windows are an important component. Samuel Coucke and his workshop, whose design drawings are displayed here, was a competitor of Dobbelaere.
The foundations of all this neo-Gothic craftsmanship rested on knowledge, a great deal of knowledge about the Middle Ages. Members of the Archaeological Society of Bruges, among others, conduct research in archives, travel, build collections and start expanding this museum and its collection. Craftsman Henri Dobbelaere was a founding member of the society. The collected objects serve as study material, but also as stylistic examples for craftsmen. With their many thousands of products craftsmen disseminate the image of a society in which the Catholic faith and the Church play a key role.
Have you already had a look at the fireplace and the beams in this room, with Louis de Gruuthuse’s coat of arms, the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece and the letters L and M of Louis and Margaretha? This is also the result of neo-Gothic restoration work by Louis Delacenserie. He too was inspired by the Middle Ages.