The Museum of Ancient Art is the largest of the component museums of the The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium (Les Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique). Also known as the Old Masters Museum, this museum is not about classical works from ancient Egypt, Greece or Rome, rather its focus is on art made in Belgium or by Belgian artists from the 15th to the 18th centuries.

Founded in 1801, the museum actually predates the modern kingdom of Belgium. Prior to the French Revolution, the area that is now Belgium was ruled by the Austrian House of Hapsburg. After the Hapsburgs were driven out, the French Republic annexed this area. Napoleon Bonaparte determined that Brussels should have a public museum of fine art and so parts of the art collections captured during the war as well as some works sent from Paris became the nucleus of the museum's collection. It opened its doors in 1803 in 14 rooms of the former Palace of Charles of Lorraine.

After the defeat of Napoleon, Belgium became part of the newly-formed Kingdom of the Netherlands. King William I of the Netherlands expanded both the museum's collection and the building in which it was housed.

In 1830, the southern provinces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands seceded and in 1831, the new Kingdom of Belgium was born. In the second half of the 19th century, King Leopold II undertook a series of construction projects intended to modernize and glorify Belgium. One of these projects was the construction of the Palace of Fine Arts, designed by Alphonse Balat in the heart of Brussels. The museum moved into the Palace of Fine Arts in 1887.

The Palace of Fine Arts remains the home of the Old Master Museum. Expanded and modernized over the years, it consists of a warren of galleries surrounding an impressive two story courtyard. It is a vast expanse. Some of the galleries are from the original 19th century museum building while others appear to be older rooms from buildings that have been annexed to the main building. Signage in French and Flemish is generally limited to basic facts such as the title of the work, name of the artist and its provenance.

As mentioned above, the collection focuses primarily on Belgian art. It includes extensive holdings of Flemish Primitive art including work by Hieronymus Bosch. Native son masters such as Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony Van Dyck, and both Peter Bruegel the Elder and the Younger are also represented. In addition, there are some works by foreign masters including Jacques Louis David and Giovanni Tiepolo.

The Old Masters Museum is next to its sister museum the Magritte Museum and the two are connected by an underground passage.

For information on visiting the Old Masters Museum, see the The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium website.

Above: The entrance courtyard of the Old Masters Museum.

​Below: Galleries in the Old Masters Museum.

Places to see art ​ - Brussels, Belgium - Museum of Ancient Art (Old Masters Museum)