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Loppem Castle, built between 1859 and 1862 by the Van Caloen family from Bruges, is one of the best-preserved ensembles of neo-Gothic architecture and interior decoration in Belgium. The castle also contains rich art collections from the late Middle Ages to the present day, largely built up by Baron Jean van Caloen. The painting collection illustrates the development of painting in the Low Countries from the Flemish Primitives to the nineteenth century, including work by Pauwels van Overbeeck (I), Frans Pourbus (I), Gillis van Tilborgh (II), and followers of Bosch, Rubens, and Van Dyck. Most of the sculptures from the Netherlands date from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, including a masterpiece by Jan Borman (III) from around 1520. Also noteworthy are four early eighteenth-century garden statues, two of which are signed by Ignatius van Logteren. There is also a beautiful piece of fifteenth-century stained glass from Brussels – a Pietà, attributed to Vrancke van der Stockt or his workshop. The library has a superb collection of printed works, emblem books, and prints from the Low Countries, some dating back to the sixteenth century.

Johan Braet, Curator of Archives and Library (March 2022)