The 48 traditional Brussels trades on Square du Petit-Sablon

Small but perfectly formed; that's what you can call the Petit-Sablon park between the Gothic Church of Our Lady of Victories and the stately Egmont Palace in Brussels. With its monumental fountain, statues, trees, shrubs, flowers, winding paths, lawns and benches, you can't help but kick back and relax. But, before you do, take the time to wander around the park and gaze upward at the 48 statues depicting traditional Brussels trades.

Lovely weather is great for walking so why not walk to the Petit-Sablon park? The green backdrop for sculpture in the heart of Brussels is waiting to be (re)discovered. An artistic masterpiece with medieval and Renaissance exhibits from the late 19th century, which was officially opened in 1890. It was the then mayor of Brussels, Charles Buls, who engaged architect Henri Beyaert, one of the leading representatives of eclecticism in Belgium. Characteristics of different styles or movements in art history and architecture were thus combined. The ornate wrought-iron fence, designed by Paul Hankar and Paul Jaspar, may draw your attention, but it is the 48 bronze statuettes atop the bluestone Gothic plinths dotted around the park that make the space unique.

The statues represent traditional Brussels trades. The most renowned sculptors of the time knew how to depict them dynamically, in detail and accurately according to the appearance, attire and attributes of the specific sectors. In the Middle Ages, sculptors did not shy away from creating statues with the facial features of contemporary dignitaries. Godfried Van den Kerckhove continued that tradition. He gave the "Quatre Couronnés" (Four Crowned), the statue in the left corner at the main entrance, the face of Henri Beyaert. The character has a compass in his right hand, a rolled-out architectural plan in the other and a piece of sculpture, along with mason's and plumber's tools at his feet. This united four building guilds in one artwork: masons, stonemasons, sculptors and pipe layers. Each figurine is deserving of a more thorough inspection. Some crafts are a genuine revelation to 21st-century eyes. Just take a look at the barber/surgeon, with a pot in his hand and his foot on an instrument bag; the saltwater fish merchant with a fish and a small barrel along with a fellow freshwater fish merchant who holds a fish and a net, and a trap to complete the picture; or the arquebus shooter depicted with his weapon and an anvil; or the grocer, with a dead goose and a bottle.

We have made a limited selection but each figurine is a masterpiece that deserves a viewing. See for yourself! Just 42 to go. And, in a later FOB, we will review the statues of the 16th-century prominent figures around the waterways in the parkland.