Showpieces

Rare items in the Flemish Community list of Masterpieces

In 2009 two precious and unique items from the MIAT collection were included in the list of Masterpieces of the Flemish Community: the Twine Mill of 1789 and the Mule Jenny dating back to around 1800.
The list contains rare objects and collections that are indispensable because of their archeological, historical, cultural-historical, artistic or scientific value.

Twine mill (1789)

This is the oldest remaining flax twine mill with reel in North-West Europe. It is a unique technological relic that is typical of the yarn industry of the Netherlands.
Mills like these characterised textile techniques in Englandand the Low Countries. They testify to the social-economic importance of the textile industry in our regions. They provided the technical inspiration for the development of modern spinning machines in the eighteenth century. It was machines such as  these that signalled the dawn of the industrial revolution.

Mule jenny (around 1800)

This textile machine was used to spin cotton yarn. From a European perspective the semi-automatic spinning machine is unique. It is a key feature in the story of the emergence of industrialisation and modern textile manufacturing in Flandersand Europe, and marks a turning point in the development of the industry.
The mule jenny is inextricably linked to the figure of Lieven Bauwens, the pioneer of the modern textile industry in Flanders.