Focus on the Holy Blood Ensign

It is extremely rare for art and cultural-historical objects of great importance, but long considered as lost, to suddenly resurface. Yet this was precisely the case with the Processional Ensign of the Noble Brotherhood of the Holy Blood, a beautifully carved wooden candlestick depicting the transfer of the Holy Blood relic. From the 16th century until shortly after the French occupation in the early 19th century, it was carried every year in the famous Procession of the Holy Blood in Bruges. This talk will shed light on the circumstances surrounding the rediscovery of the ensign and explore the religious symbolism embedded in this exceptional artefact.

Bruges workshop, The Holy Blood ensign, 1529, polychromed wood, Ø 64 cm.
Collection King Baudouin Foundation. Acquired by the King Baudouin Foundation in 2007, entrusted to the Museum van het Heilig Bloed, Bruges.
© Philippe de Formanoir