Hof van Busleyden

The museum and collection

After a long restoration phase, the museum Hof van Busleyden opened its doors again in June 2018 with a new exhibition presented in a new interior. This majestic and magnificent Renaissance palace in Mechelen has once again become a meeting place, a place for conversations, where art is collected and displayed. In this museum you look back at the city’s glorious history and look ahead to the future. The visitor travels back and forth between the past and present through the sequence of the galleries.
The museum exhibits the so called ‘Besloten Hofjes’ which are unique in their kind. These retabel cabinets were made in the first half of the 16th century by the order of the Gasthuiszusters-Augustinian. They were included on the Masterpieces list in 2011. 

The assignment

Meyvaert was selected to provide 107 custom made showcases: hanging and recessed wall cases, table cases, freestanding cases and one slide out case. 

For the Besloten Hofjes we designed special freestanding showcases that met specific requirements for preservation, as these retabel cabinets will be on display for a long period of time. This is why we equipped the cases with temperature and humidity sensors as well as vibration isolators and thermal insulation. We integrated these special features in such a way that they are invisible to the public.