Nicolaas Rockox, mayor of Antwerp and art lover in all senses of the word

At that time Rockox was the mayor of the city and in that position he represented the city before the higher authorities and he was head of the militia and the marksmen's guilds. For more than fifty years he has dominated the social and cultural life of the city of Antwerp.

Frans Snijders had built up a good reputation as a painter of still lifes, animal pieces and hunting scenes. He was apprenticed to Pieter Brueghel II and Hendrik van Balen. He probably stayed in Italy for two years. Later, he joined forces with Peter Paul Rubens and received commissions from Spain and the Northern Netherlands.
The Kredietbank (now KBC) purchased the Rockox House from the Artiestenfonds in 1970. At the same time, under the auspices of the bank, the Stichting Nicolaas Rockox (Nicolaas Rockox Foundation) was set up, which was entrusted with the restoration of the property and which continues to manage it as a witness to a glorious past.