 The 1902 exhibition was not the first to focus on the Flemish Primitives, although it was the first on this scale and to generate so much interest and scientific feedback.Among earlier exhibitions were the 1867 "Tableaux de l'ancienne école Néerlandaise" in Bruges, also directed by W. H. J. Weale; the 1892 "Exhibition of pictures by masters of the Netherlandish and allied schools of XV and early XVI centuries" at the Burlington Fine Arts Club, with 60 pictures; and the 1899 "Netherlandish School" exhibition at the New Gallery (London), with 165 works.The 1902 exposition was originally intended for Brussels, but moved to Bruges after the city refused to lend the many works it held to the exhibition if it did not take place in Bruges.