Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage
Online documentation
The Ghent Altarpiece in 100 billion pixels
It is now possible to zoom into the intricate, breathtaking details of one of the most important works of art in the world. For the first time in the Ghent Altarpiece's history, viewers may peek under the work's paint surfaces by means of infrared reflectography (IRR) and x-radiography.
BALaT: Belgian Art Links and Tools
This portal gives access to the Dictionnaire des Peintres belges, which at a later stage will be connected to the database of IRPA/KIK's photo library.
Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT)
For many years now, IRPA/KIK collaborates with the Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie, Flemish and Dutch museums and other heritage institutions on the translation in Dutch of the Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT). The AAT is a worldwide used instrument to make collections on the history of architecture, art and culture accessible. The Dutch-language AAT is a translation, including revisions, of the American AAT of the Getty Research Institute.
Europeana enables people to explore the digital resources of Europe's museums, libraries, archives and audio-visual collections. It promotes discovery and networking opportunities in a multilingual space where users can engage, share in and be inspired by the rich diversity of Europe's cultural and scientific heritage. Currently more than 27.000 objects from IRPA/KIK's vast database are included in Europeana. Whether you find a celebrated work or a lesser known object, Europeana always connects you to the original source of the material so you can be sure of its authenticity.
Radiocarbon: Carbon 14 datings
Databank containing the results of carbon 12 datings and measurements of stable isotopes IRPA has obtained. This database is constantly evolving.
The Vade-Mecum pour la protection et l'entretien du patrimoine artistique has been designed as a guide cultural objects' managers can use. It discusses the problem around the conservation of works of art in a natural environment and suggests relaistic solutions. You can consult the chapter Le verre, principes de conservation, d'exposition et d'entretien (Glass, theories of conservation, exposition and maintenance) online.
The Flemish Primitives
The Centre for the Study of the Flemish Primitives presents a database on fifteenth-century painting in the Southern Netherlands and the Prince-Bishopric of Liège. Available in English, it is classified per author, place of conservation and subject.