Vijf beeldhouwwerken, gemaakt uit steen van Avesnes en afkomstig uit het klooster Five sculptures in Avesnes stone from the Convent of Hautrage have enriched the King Baudouin Foundation’s collection since 2011. For the time being, the sculptures will remain in the Convent.
Christ in Bonds
One of the sculptures is a monumental Christ aux liens (Christ in Bonds) dating from the 16th century, which until 1974 decorated the outer wall of the cloister, but after detailed restoration to repair damage due to the passage of time, the nuns decided to place the sculpture in the Chapel.
Benefactor
A portrait of Jean Hanot and one of his wife are also part of this collection. In 1506, Jean Hanot donated his house and goods to the Franciscan nuns so as to enable a cloister to be built. The two paintings originally framed a burial scene, which is today kept at the Musées Royaux d’Art et d’Histoire de Bruxelles. The sculpted portraits, however, had disappeared for a period of time, but reappeared shortly before the exhibition Trésors sacrés, organized in Tournai Cathedral in 1971, from whence they were returned to the Convent of Hautrage. Among this collection of sculptures there are also two polychromatic Vierges à l’Enfant (Mother and Child), exhibited in the convent refectory. Further information about the Léon Courtin-Marcelle Bouché Fund
