For the first time, an international exhibition is being dedicated to Margaret of Parma (1522-1586). In her birthplace Oudenaarde. Margaret was the daughter of Emperor Charles and maid Johanna Van der Gheynst. In a turbulent period at the beginning of the Eighty Years’ War, she was governor of the Netherlands. She was also a social figure in Italy and a true art lover and patron.

The exhibition shows portraits and magnificent objects that Margaret cherished or for which she commissioned them. Paintings, drawings, tapestries, miniatures, gold and silver work, and stained glass windows: they are coming together for the first time in 500 years.