The Sterckshof silver museum of the province of Antwerp ( nl, Zilvermuseum Sterckshof Provincie Antwerpen, french: Musée de l'Argenterie de Sterckshof) was a museum located in

Sterckshof The Sterckshof castle is in Deurne, Antwerp, Belgium. From 1994 to 2014 it housed the Sterckshof silver museum of the Province of Antwerp. Built on the site of a much older castle, or great house, the present building is a reconstruction erected ...

castle in Deurne,

Province of Antwerp ) , native_name_lang = nl , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of Antwerp.svg , flag_size = , image_shield = Wapen van de provincie Antwerpen.svg , shield_size ...

, Belgium, from 1994 to 2014. It then merged with the

Antwerp Diamond Museum Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

to form

DIVA Museum for Diamonds, Jewellery and Silver DIVA Museum for Diamonds, Jewellery and Silver is a museum that opened in Antwerp, Belgium, in 2018. It merged the collections of the former Antwerp Diamond Museum (1972–2012) and Sterckshof silver museum The Sterckshof silver museum of the pro ...

, based in Antwerp city centre.

Purpose

The Sterckshof silver museum was founded as a centre for research, expertise and promotion of the silversmith's trade. In 2007 the museum was the first museum to ever win the art history prize of the

's-Hertogenbosch s-Hertogenbosch (), colloquially known as Den Bosch (), is a city and municipality in the Netherlands with a population of 157,486. It is the capital of the province of North Brabant and its fourth largest by population. The city is south of th ...

Art & Antiques Fair.

Collection

Sterckshof castle was built in neo-Flemish Renaissance style, completed in 1938. The silver museum opened in the castle in 1994 after a major renovation. The museum was about from downtown Antwerp. It was located in the Rivierenhof, one of the city's largest parks. The castle where it was based includes courtyards with a wishing well, a French garden and ruins. The silver collection is extremely varied, covering the period from the 16th century to the present. The artifacts were presented thematically, with techniques, brands, styles and the use of the objects presented in context. The museum displays included domestic and religious artifacts. The museum also included exceptional examples of antique Belgian furniture.

Other aspects

The museum held silver expertise days and silver Sunday. It organized regular discussions, night classes and tours, and geared custom programs on the theme of silver to schools and groups. There was a functioning silversmith's workshop. The library of the Sterckshof Silver Museum held a unique collection with a focus on Belgian goldsmiths. There was also an extensive collection related to applied arts, as well as descriptions of artifacts, art styles, information about artists, conservation and restoration techniques and specific topics. From 1996 onwards the Sterckshof Silver Museum of the Province of Antwerp gave an annual contract to a Belgian silversmith to make a silver artifact for the museum's collection. The museum and the selected jeweler agreed on the object to be made, which should be characteristic of the artist's oeuvre. It was manufactured entirely or in part in the museum's silver workshop. The museum would publish a small monograph on the artist. In September 2010 Sandra Janssens, formerly a scholarly associate at Musea Brugge, replaced acting director Wim Nys as curator. In 2014 the museum merged with the Antwerp Diamond Museum to form DIVA Museum for Diamonds, Jewellery and Silver, which opened in 2018 near the Grote Markt in Antwerp. Alternative uses have been sought for the Sterckshof site.

References

Citations Sources * * * * * * * * * {{Authority control Museums in Antwerp Province Art museums and galleries in Belgium 1992 establishments in Belgium 2014 disestablishments in Belgium