The chief interest of the Palais-de-Justice lies in the ancient Chambre Echevinale which contains the famous mantelpiece so often reproduced pictorially, although no image can give an adequate idea of its richness and splendour (Photo above). In this "poem of carved wood", the great artist, Lancelot Blondeel, expressed with wonderful power and wealth of detail the apotheosis of Charles-Quint. The imperial effigy, forming a central motif, stands out boldly in relief. The other life-size figures which surmount the panels to the right and left represent: on one side, Maximilian of Austria and Marie of Burgundy; on the other side, Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, ancestors of the Emperor. The mantelpiece proper is in black marble with a frieze of alabaster representing, in bas-relief, the story of Susannah. This masterpiece was conceived by Blondeel and executed by Guyot de Beaugrant.
Mantelpiece in the Palais-de-Justice.
Ruelle de l'Ane Aveugle.
Leave Place du Bourg by the narrow street "Ane Aveugle", which, passing under an arcade, runs between the "Greffe" and the Hôtel-de-Ville, coming out at the "Marché-aux-Poissons" (Fish-Market). Immediately on the left is seen the charming vista of the "Quai des Marbriers" and "Quai Vert", one of the most deservedly renowned places in Bruges.
That part of the "Palais du Franc" which was rebuilt in the 16th century overlooks the canal, with its long row of gables and graceful turrets (restored in 1880, by P. Buyck).
Panorama Seen from the Quai du Rosaire.