On Sunday, the 1st of June, we drove into Antwerp Center to attend the “music” mass at St. Carolus Borromeus church. Every sunday at 11:30am they have musicians or singers come from all over Europe to perform at the mass. It is very well attended. This Sunday it was the Kent College Choiresters from England.
The altar piece in Sint Carolus Borromeus Church by Peter Paul Reubens.
After mass we walked down to the Cathedral square where we had lunch at De Rooden Hoed or Red Hat restaurant. It looked out onto the square where there was a guy entertaining everyone by using to sticks and a bucket of soapy water making huge bubbles that would float up into the sky.
From there we walked to Vrijdagmarkt (Friday Market) where The Plantin-Moretus Museum is located in a beautiful old building. Christopher Plantin was the greatest industrial printer and publisher and second only to its inventor Johannes Gutenberg in the history of printing.
I can’t even summarize all I learned here so I am going to show you some phots that give you an idea of what a wonderful museum this is and how much you can learn.
Looking toward the entry to the great drawing room from the small drawing room.
Me standing in the Inner Court of the Plantin-Moretus Museum in Antwerp.
You didn’t but books here but “leaves” or pages. You had to take your “leaves” to a bookbinder to have made into a book. Separate guilds for printers and bookbinders.
The room preceeding entry to the printing room where the type are stored.
Me in the Printing Press Room. Typesetting on the left and printing presses on the right.
A closeup of the typesetting cases across the aisle from the printing presses.
Five printing presses along the outside wall. All from the 17th and 18th century.
Did these rollers dampen the paper before being printed or did they have some other purpose?
A box of 17th century typesetting tools they used to put and secure type into the forme.
Here is a “forme” with type set and ready for the printing press.
Here is a neat early pull out book showing various parts of the anatomy. The flap is in the abdominal area.
The Wencelas Bible illuminated in Prague in 1403.
This library with globes, statues and reference desks is in the tradition of 17th century Humanist reading rooms, according to my guide.
The Plantin Company logo: Labore et Constancia or Work and Constancy.
The workshop of the type foundry where the type – letter, number, symbol or note of music is created.
A room with cases and prints showing the work product through history of known printers in Antwerp.
The workshop of the type foundry where the type – letter, number, symbol or note of music is created.
This library with globes, statues and reference desks is in the tradition of 17th century Humanist reading rooms, according to my guide.
After the Museum we walked back to our car through both the Grote Markt where we took this picture of the famous Brabo statue in front of the town hall and the Groene Plaat where they had some dairy cows on display.
The statute of Brabo in front of Town Hall. See the hand in his right hand ready to throw in the River Schelde. This is how Antwerp (thrown hand) got its name.
This is Frederick and I am having a great time in Belgium.
