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The Poitiers museums hold an important collection of Flemish and Netherlandish art dating from 1350 to 1750. Estimated at 170 pieces, the collection has its main origins in a bequest from the collector Rupert de Chièvres, consisting of paintings and decorative objets d’art. Left initially to the Société des Antiquaires de l’Ouest, these works entered the municipal collections when ownership was ceded by the SAO in 1947. The collection also benefits from three other bequests. The Charbonnel (1870) and Poupelard (1910) gifts consist mainly of ceramics, while the Babinet bequest (1882) is a remarkable group of drawings featuring various prestigious attributions including Jacob Jordaens, Peter Paul Rubens, and Jan van Goyen. Supplemented by various Revolutionary confiscations from the Abbaye Sainte-Croix plus a number of one-off gifts and purchases, parts of the collection, including paintings attributed to Ambrosius Bosschaert, David Teniers (II), Hendrick Bloemaert, and Jan Brueghel, are on display today at the Musée Sainte-Croix. The presentation of the collection is due to be renewed in 2027.

Camille Belvèze, Curator of the Fine Arts, Decorative Arts, and Ethnographical Collections (March 2025)