Het Maagdenhuismuseum in Antwerp owns a unique collection of 16th century porridge bowls. The Flemish Community has acknowledged this unicity by placing the bowls on its list of masterpieces. The bowls are the first earthenware objects on the list.
The series of 63 majolica porridge bowls from the third quarter of the 16th century are part of the collection of the Maagdenhuismuseum, a former girls orphanage. The girls used these bowls on festive days. The bowls were possibly made in the workshop of Michiel Nouts, a potter who was active in Antwerp until 1611 and moved to Delft subsequently.
With the acknowledgement of the bowls as masterpieces of Flemish heritage, the Maagdenhuismuseum can boast to be part of a very select group of museums, churches and archives in Flanders that preserve the works of art on the list.