View from the Basilica of Hal

Vue sur la basilique de Halle is a work painted by the Brussels artist Jean-Baptiste Van Moer (1819-1884) and is one of the oldest views in existence of Halle.

On sees a procession walking round the basilica that is depicted in great detail. This is also the case for several of the houses on the Grand Place and a number of others on the Kardinaal Cardijnstraat.
Thanks to the precision in this painting, it provides a veritable source of information regarding the history of the basilica’s construction. The talent with which the artist paints the perspectives is also remarkable.

The Brussels artist Jean-Baptiste Van Moer is known for the photographic precision with which he painted his works and indeed, his paintings are considered to be authentic informative documents about the cities represented and the daily scenes depicted.

Jean-Baptiste Van Moer painted this scene in 1845 and the work was awarded a prize at the Brussels Triennial Art Exhibition, which took place that year.

The work only reappeared during the summer of 2014, at an auction in the south of France. The Léon Courtin-Marcelle Bouché Fund, managed by the King Baudouin Foundation, was able to acquire the painting and has since entrusted it to the den Ast Museum in Halle.

More information on the Léon Courtin-Marcelle Bouché Fund (in French)