Hiëronymus van Busleyden (ca. 1470-1517) was a talented and ambitious jurist from Arlon who settled in Mechelen at the beginning of the sixteenth century. He had just been appointed as a member of the Great Council, the highest judicial body in the Netherlands, which was based in Mechelen. Van Busleyden had his residence renovated into a luxurious city palace. He collected artworks and books there, and he hosted Erasmus, Thomas More, and other important humanists of his time.
The Museum Hof van Busleyden houses many masterpieces, including paintings, the magnificent Choir Book of Margaret of Austria, polychrome woodcarvings such as the famous 'Mechelen dolls' that have captivated the world, and the unique collection of Enclosed Gardens. These are highlights in the grand narrative of Mechelen and the Burgundian Renaissance.
