The secret of Tracing Boards

The Tracing Board lies at the very heart of Masonic ritual. It occupies an essential position, yet one that is rarely visible to the general public. Both symbolic and functional, it structures the ritual space while guiding reflection and interpretation.

This exhibition offers visitors an unprecedented immersion into this distinctive visual universe. It seeks to elucidate what a tracing board is, to explore its role and uses, and to reveal the wide variety of forms and representations it can assume.

Around thirty works highlight the formal and conceptual richness of these boards, while offering a renewed perspective on a symbolic heritage that dates back to the eighteenth century.

At the intersection of transmission, secrecy and creation, the Belgian Museum of Freemasonry unveils what is usually kept from view. Visitors are invited, for the duration of the exhibition, to cross the threshold into a world in which everything is symbol.

Masonic Satire

A temporary exhibition in which the art of caricature engages in dialogue with the major themes explored in our permanent collection.
Through ten remarkable caricatures drawn from the satirical newspaper Le Frondeur (1868–1869), discover a biting visual world populated by voluptuous monks, hypocritical clergymen and indolent politicians.
Produced within the vibrant context of the nineteenth century by the liberal and anti-clerical bourgeois circles associated with the Leuven lodge La Constance, these fascinating images challenge the power of the Church and the political tensions of their time with wit and audacity.
This exhibition invites visitors to decode a rich and surprising iconography while drawing compelling connections with the objects and ideas presented throughout the museum’s permanent displays.
Combining satire, history and a critical perspective on society, it offers an original experience that sheds light on the past with striking modern relevance. A unique opportunity to discover rare, humorous and provocative works that are sure to leave a lasting impression.