Exhibitions Archive - Asia

Under the spell of Mount Ararat. Treasures from ancient Armenia

Visitors to this exhibition will go on a journey through the rich history of Armenia. From the Stone Age, in which homo erectus travelled from Africa to Eurasia to settle in what is now Armenia, via the first important leaders who had themselves buried in monumental mounds around 1500 BC, and the Kingdom of Urartu, to the great realm of King Tiridates III (AD 287-330), who made Christianity the state religion.
Gold and silver ornaments, weapons, pottery, and bronze figurines in the shape of animals and warriors – around 170 in total – will provide an impression of the impressive archaeological wealth of Armenia, from the earliest times until the arrival of Christianity. Many of these valuable objects will be on display in the Netherlands for the first time.
One of the exhibition’s highlights will be a relic of Noah’s Ark. Saint Jacob of Nisibis is said to have found this piece of wood from the Ark at the foot of Mount Ararat in the 4th century AD. The relic is kept in the oldest cathedral in the world: Etchmiadzin Cathedral in Armenia.

11/05/2022 – 30/10/2022

The Drents Museum, Brink 1, 9401 HS, Assen, Netherlands

Gold of the Great Steppe

The Saka culture of Central Asia, flourishing 2,500 years ago, is largely unknown outside Kazakhstan. This exhibition will present artefacts from the extraordinary burial mounds of the Saka people of East Kazakhstan: Berel, Shilikty and Eleke Sazy.
Recent excavations and analyses led by archaeologists from Kazakhstan have helped us understand much better how the Saka lived and travelled, the things they made and what they believed in. They have revealed a distinctive, advanced society, which is still being uncovered as modern archaeological methods enable scholars and scientists to find and analyse not only burial mounds but also the remnants of settlements.
The Saka occupied a landscape of seemingly endless steppe to the west, bounded by mountains to the east and south. Known as fierce warriors, they were also skilled craftspeople, producing intricate gold work. Their artistic language indicates their deep respect for the animals around them – both real and imagined. They dominated their landscapes with huge burial mounds of ambitious construction, burying elite members of their society with their horses.

28/09/2021 - 30/01/2022

The Fitzwilliam Museum, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RB, UK

Schmuck aus dem Osmanischen Reich

Chest jewellery, amulets, splendid head jewellery, or face veils are on display from two private collections. An idea of the traditional handcraftsmanship from this cultural region is conveyed by the lavishly decorated silver jewellery items and accessoires produced using elaborate techniques.

27/02/2022 - 17/04/2022

Deutsche Goldschmiedehaus Hanau, Altstädter Markt 6, 63450 Hanau, Germany

Arts of Islamic Lands: Selections from The al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait

Islamic masterworks from Kuwait’s renowned al-Sabah Collection come to the MFAH as part of a long-term collaboration with the cultural institution Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah (DAI). The privately held al-Sabah Collection is one of the greatest collections of Islamic art in the world, and the partnership initiates a historic exchange of objects, staff, and expertise. Among the highlights showcased in this display are spectacular Mughal jewelry, illuminated manuscripts, exquisite ceramics, and intricately decorated ceiling panels. More than 60 examples from the 8th to 18th centuries are on view, made in the Iberian Peninsula, North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia. The collection also includes carpets, glass and metalwork, paintings, architectural fragments, scientific instruments, and works on paper.

26/1/2013 – 4/01/2015

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1001 Bissonnet, Houston, Texas 77005, USA

Secrets of the Silk Road

This exhibition explores the history of the vast desert landscape of the Tarim Basin, located in Western China, and the mystery of the peoples who lived there. Located at the crossroads between East and West, oasis towns within the Tarim Basin were key way stations for anyone traveling on the legendary Silk Road. Extraordinarily well-preserved human remains found at these sites reveal ancient people of unknown descent. Caucasian in appearance, these mummies challenge long-held beliefs about the history of the area, and early human migration. The material excavated suggests the area was active for thousands of years, with diverse languages, lifestyles, religions, and cultures present. This exhibit provides a chance to investigate this captivating material to begin to uncover some of the secrets of the Silk Road.

5/02/2011 - 5/06/2011

Penn Museum, Philadelphia, PA, USA

A Passage to Asia

Europe and Asia have had close relations for thousands of years. Commercial and political networks developed both on land - via the Silk Road - and on sea. Conquerors like Alexander the Great, Attila, and Genghis Khan set out in search of glory, wealth, and power; travellers like Marco Polo, Zheng He, and Magellan were fascinated by riches, silk, spices, porcelain, etc. This exhibition throws light on 2,500 years of exchanges between Asia and Europe and also between different Asian peoples. It presents an exceptional selection of over 300 decorative and artistic objects never previously shown in Europe: burial urns, bronze ritual drums, gold jewellery, ivories, old maps, and unique textiles, as well as extraordinary cargo recently recovered from shipwrecks at the bottom of the sea.

25/06/2010 – 10/10/2010

BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts, Brussels, Belgium

Portable Treasuries: Silver Jewelry from the Nadler Collection

Collectors Daniel and Serga Nadler have assembled a unique collection of silver jewelry from around the world, including massive neck ornaments, anklets, bracelets, complex earrings, and a wide variety of brooches and fibulae. The exhibition will present approximately 150 works, from North Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, and the hill tribes of Southeast Asia. This marks the inaugural exhibition of the Nadler Collection, which was generously donated as a promised gift to the Museum of Arts and Design. The jewelry is beautifully crafted, and sadly is in diminishing supply; over the years, many works have been melted down for their silver.

16/02/2010 - 8/08/2010

Museum of Arts and Design, New York NY, USA

Precious Filigree of the Orient of XVII - XIX Centuries. From the Collections of the State Hermitage

The Hermitage collection of the Oriental filigree of XVII-XIX centuries is the richest collection in the world. The exhibition presents more than one hundred items that were stored in the collections of the Russian tsars already in XVII-XVIII centuries. The items comprise both filigree silver that belonged to Peter the Great, gold jewelry and the toiletry sets of Catherine the Great, as well as other works from the Treasury Gallery. This is the first time the collection has such a vast range of different exhibits. Several items were presented at the exhibition Chinese Export Art in Velikiy Novgorod in 2003.

1/06/2009 – 28/09/2009

State Stone-Cutting and Jewelry Art History Museum, Ekaterinburg, Russia

Tradition and Modernity - Oriental traditional jewellery in transition

More than 200 pieces of traditional jewellery, from the collections of Dr. Bir, Herman E. Rudolph, Dr Waltraud Ganguly, Inge Prokot and Sybille Jargsdorf, are displayed, including men's jewelry, coins and jewelry, the power of the scriptures, in the Sign of the Cross, the hand of Peace - hand of reconciliation, women's jewelry in India, Central Asia, turquoise jewelry, ring parable - Jewelry from Israel and Zar amulets from Egypt.

05/07/09 – 19/09/09

Deutsches Goldschmiedehaus, Hanau, Germany

East Asian

Exotic Formosa – Jewellery and Objects, created by Ruan Weng Mong

The goldsmith and sculptor Ruan Weng Mong is a mediator between different worlds: born in Taiwan and trained as a goldsmith in Germany, plus serving as President of the Goldsmiths’ Guild in Nuremberg for many years, he is at home on several continents. His artworks elegantly wed his sensibility for materials and his appreciation of (gem)stones to clear-cut shapes that connote both a European and an Asian formal idiom. While working as an instructor and lecturer in Taiwan, he was one of the first to introduce international contemporary jewellery to Taiwan, and contributed towards paving the way for the inspirational, top-level international exchange of ideas that is taking place there nowadays. The exhibition will be showcasing about 100 of his works in the genres of jewellery, sculpture and graphic art, created over a period of more than 40 years. This is the first time that contemporary Taiwanese-Asian jewellery and artistically created objects will be shown in Germany.

5/03/2022 - 6/06/2022

Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim, Jahnstraße 42, 75173 Pforzheim, Germany

Chinese

Kingfisher Headdresses from China

Since ancient times, Chinese poets have praised the plumage of the kingfisher, a bird widely found in the tropical regions of Asia.
By the Song dynasty (960–1278), portraits of empresses showed them wearing headdresses adorned with kingfisher ornaments. Few examples of this fragile artistry have survived, and the earliest ones come from the tomb of the Wanli Emperor (reigned 1572–1620), in which archaeologists found four elaborate kingfisher crowns worn by his empresses.
The vivid feathers were expensive, with the most prized specimens imported from Cambodia and Vietnam. Artisans cut them to shape before painstakingly pasting the feathers onto gilded metal backing that formed the structure of the headdresses. Precious and semiprecious stones such as rubies, agate, and jadeite as well as other valuable materials including amber, coral, and pearls added to the splendid effect. Popular motifs — bats, butterflies, dragons, and phoenixes — symbolized various aspects of good fortune.
This exhibition brings together over 20 objects crafted from these extraordinarily beautiful feathers, all promised gifts from Barbara and David Kipper. They include ornate headdresses as well as smaller pieces of jewellery and hairpins, which provided a less cumbersome touch of glamour.

21/05/2022 – 21/05/2023

Art Institute of Chicago, 111 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60603, USA

Gold and Treasures: 3000 Years of Chinese Ornaments

From the first traces of its use in the fifth millennium B.C.E., gold has fascinated and mesmerised civilizations the world over.
Gold was rarely seen in China before the Han dynasty and was mainly used to embellish other materials such as bronze or to realize small objects. For the Steppe peoples of northern China, however, it played an essential role in society. Frequent exchanges between central China and nomadic peoples led to a dramatic increase in the production and use of gold ornaments, which became veritable symbols of power and represented the high rank of those who wore them. They are also invaluable in bearing witness to the savoir-faire of Chinese goldsmiths over the centuries.
Replete with various symbolic meanings that are deciphered throughout the exhibition, these ornaments span more than three thousand years of Chinese history. All are part of the exceptional Mengdiexuan Collection, one of Hong Kong’s most extraordinary private art collections, focused on Chinese art. L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts is honoured to present the collection in Paris, following a first exhibition on its Hong Kong campus two years ago.

1/12/2022 - 14/04/2023

L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts, 31 rue Danielle Casanova, 75001 Paris, France

The Art of Gold, 3000 Years of Chinese Treasures

Travel through time to witness the imperishable radiance and lasting power of gold, as it has played a symbolic and decorative role since the 5th millennium BCE. Featuring a selection of masterpieces from the Mengdiexuan Collection, the exhibition illustrates over three thousand years of goldsmithing in China, through four major techniques namely hammering and chasing, casting, granulation, wire and filigree. From necklaces, bracelets and earrings, to hairpins, brooches and belt plaques, they take visitors on a journey across central China, the Steppes, the Mongolia and the Himalaya, spanning three millennia from Shang dynasty to Qing dynasty, presenting the goldsmithing techniques that still intrigue connoisseurs’ eyes in the modern days.

26/03/2021 - 29/08/2021

L’ÉCOLE, School of Jewelry Arts, 510A, 5F, K11 MUSEA, Victoria Dockside, 18 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong

The Gold of Chinese Emperors. Royal Gold Wares of Wanli Period, Ming Dynasty – Dong Bo Zhai Collection

The gold items from the imperial treasury of the Ming dynasty, more precisely, from the Wanli period (1573–1620), are great masterpieces of gold craft, and show the sophisticated taste as well as the economic power of the famous rulers. Jewellery, tableware, and other items of artistic merit show the social position of their owners, while depictions of dragons with five claws and phoenixes reveal connections with the imperial family. These items rarely leave China and can be seen in Slovenia for the first time.

16/08/2018 – 15/02/2019

National Museum of Slovenia, Prešernova 20, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia

Empresses of China’s Forbidden City

'Empresses of China’s Forbidden City' is the first major international exhibition to explore the role of empresses in China’s grand imperial era — the Qing dynasty, from 1644 to 1912. Nearly 200 works, including imperial portraits, jewellery, garments, Buddhist sculptures and decorative art objects from the Palace Museum, Beijing (known as the Forbidden City), tell the little-known stories of how these women influenced art, religion, court politics and international diplomacy.

18/08/2018 - 10/02/2019

Peabody Essex Museum, East India Square, 161 Essex Street, Salem, MA 01970, USA

Ming, 50 years that changed China

Between AD 1400 and 1450, China was a global superpower run by one family – the Ming dynasty – who established Beijing as the capital and built the Forbidden City. During this period, Ming China was thoroughly connected with the outside world. Chinese artists absorbed many fascinating influences, and created some of the most beautiful objects and paintings ever made. The exhibition will feature a range of these spectacular objects – including exquisite porcelain, gold, jewellery, furniture, paintings, sculptures and textiles – from museums across China and the rest of the world. Many of them have only been very recently discovered and have never been seen outside China.

18/09/2014 – 5/01/2015

British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG, UK

Antique gold jewellery exhibition

110 pieces of gold and silver jewellery and household items are exhibited in Southern Song Dynasty Official Kiln Museum. The antiques on display are from three dynasties: the Song Dynasty (960–1279), Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368) and Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). Most of them were unearthed in cellars and tombs in Jiangyin City. Before the Song Dynasty, there were strict rules about the use of gold and silver wares. Back then, gold and silver are exclusively associated with imperial families. Since the Song Dynasty, silver and gold have been used widely. Gold and silver wares from different dynasties are of different features. Gold and silver wares from the Song Dynasty are exquisite but simple; Those from the Yuan Dynasty are mostly household items with logos; While, those from the Yuan Dynasty are luxury, often embedded with various precious gemstones.

26/02/2014 - 3/05/2014

Southern Song Dynasty Official Kiln Museum, No.60, Nanfu Road, Hangzhou, 310008, China

This exhibition highlights the works of Chinese artists, designers and craftsmen adept at producing unique, skilled, and surprising works of art. It consists of approximately 70 objects dating from the Tang dynasty (618-907 CE) to the early 21st century, including a range of rare or never before displayed objects such as paintings, fans, vessels, snuff bottles, objects of personal adornment, and amulets.

28/07/2012 – 3/02/2013

Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park, Toronto, ON M5S 2C6, Canada

Treasures of China

This exciting exhibition will showcase seventy of the treasures in Nanjing Museum, the second largest museum in China. It will explore the rise of Imperial China from the earliest Stone Age tombs to the time of the last Emperor and take us on a journey across 4500 years of Chinese history. Stunning objects include a 2000 year old, life size jade suit from the tombs of the Han Dynasty rulers, an exquisite gold cicada sitting on a jade leaf worn by a Ming Princess nearly 600 years ago and the luxury items and ornaments that adorned the palace of the last of the Imperial families as the tumult of the twentieth century changed China for ever.

30/12/2012 – 7/01/2013

Colchester Castle, Castle Park, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1TJ, UK

To Be with You

The completion of a piece of jewellery is never just a destination. It could also be seen as a starting point for a journey, during which it travels from the maker to the person for whom it was made. The works to be included in this exhibition will provide a means of discussing the journey and the relationship and interaction between the maker and the wearer, who may know each other, or who may remain as anonymous communicators. The notion of To Be With You is proposed as a perspective for visual practice through the media of jewellery and other related products. It is a kind of attitude and a means of expression. This can be understood on two levels, that of the maker, or the jewellery piece itself, either spiritual or physical. On the one hand, from the point of view of the maker, the visual work can act as a messenger to the future wearer, to convey in confidence an unfailing will, and to make a lasting commitment. On the other hand, when the object has been made, it is born, to be with, and perceived and reinterpreted by the very body of the wearer.

October to November 2012

CAFA Art Museum, No.8 Hua Jia Di Nan St., Chao Yang District, Beijing, CHINA

The Search for Immortality: Tomb Treasures of Han China

Featuring over 350 treasures in jade, gold, silver, bronze and earthenware, this exhibition takes you into the 2000 year-old tombs of Han Dynasty China, revealing an epic story of lust for power both in life and death. The Han Dynasty (206 BC – AD 220) founded unified rule in China but to maintain their vast territory they endured constant struggles for supremacy, both within the empire and from without. In a world first, see the tomb finds of two rival power factions: the Han royal family and the Kingdom of Nanyue in southern China. Both seeking control of the southern lands, their rivalry continued to the afterlife in tomb palaces of incredible wealth. See the treasures that proclaimed their power and discover how they aspired to eternal life. A part of the London 2012 Festival, this is one of the most important exhibitions of ancient royal treasures ever to travel outside China.

5/05/2012 – 11/11/2012

Fitzwilliam Museum, Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RB, UK

Royal Style: Qing Dynasty and Western Court Jewelry

The main theme of the exhibition is the story of jewelry and its patrons, which is presented by a comparison between the jewelry of the Qing court and that of the Western nobility. The imperial style will be introduced first in order to show the classic model of jewelry. This will be followed by the theme of contemporary fashion. The concurrent artistic developments in these two markets can be seen throughout the exhibition. The final section will present the ways in which East and West encountered one another at different points and places in time, their incorporation of elements from each other’s cultures, and the magnificent fruits that were born of this contact. The exhibition is composed of 470 pieces of jewelry from the collection of the National Palace Museum and special loans from the Cartier Collection and the Shenyang Palace Museum, which together present the colorful and fascinating culture of jewelry.

9/06/2012 - 9/09/2012

National Palace Museum(Exhibition Area II, 1F , Library Building) No.221, Sec. 2, Zhishan Rd., Shilin Dist., Taipei City 11143, Taiwan

Wallace Chan

An exhibit of works by Wallace Chan of Hong Kong.

11/07/11 - October 2011

The GIA Museum, Carlsbad, CA 92008, USA

Traditional Apparel and Jewelry of Rural China

This collection, consisting of a beautiful arrangement of Chinese clothing, jewelry and other artifacts often used by rural Chinese groups, belongs to Bob and Xinyan Weeks of Silver City. Mrs. Weeks was born and raised in the mountainous region of Guangxi Province, China. From 1992 to 2005, her collection expanded to over 100 items, each one representing to her an intriguing part of Chinese history. The collected items together tell different stories which Mrs. Weeks shares in the new exhibition.

15/03/11 - 31/05/11

The WNMU Museum, Fleming Hall, Silver City, New Mexico, USA

Manchu, the last empire.

The exhibition will present the precious collections from the old imperial capital of Mukden and the summer palace of Jehol, the legendary wardrobe of the Emperor's warriors, and the refined objects created by the finest artists of the Celestial Empire, not only jewels of exquisite workmanship in gold, jade and precious stones, but also musical instruments, weapons, harness for horses, along with historical evidence of the fatal confrontation with the West in the mid-nineteenth century culminating in the Boxer Rebellion in the summer of 1900.

23/10/2010 – 08/05/2011

Casa dei Carraresi, Treviso, Italy

The Peranakan World: Cross Cultural Art of Singapore and the Straits of Malacca

This exhibition tells the rich story of how Chinese immigrant communities forged a unique Southeast Asian culture. It showcases an assortment of art objects including gold and diamond jewellery; belt buckles; porcelain; furniture and beadwork. The Peranakans commissioned their jewellery from Malay, Chinese, Indian, and European jewellers, which led to diverse techniques and designs. Chinese and Malay decorative motifs were frequently combined. The kerosang - a heart-shaped brooch - perhaps the most iconic of Peranakan jewellery - is derived from a Portuguese form. Jewellery for celebratory occasions such as weddings was primarily made of gold and diamonds, or occasionally semi-precious stones. During mourning periods, silver and pearls were used; pearls were thought to represent tears. Also on display is Peranakan beadwork and intricately woven embroidery work, which bears the stamp of Malay, Chinese, and European influence in technique, design, and form. Commonly used for Peranakan weddings, the auspicious motifs selected for the designs were drawn largely from the Chinese repertoire. Popular choices include the peony, the mythical phoenix, a composite creature called the qilin, and butterflies (symbols of conjugal bliss, fertility, and good fortune). Metallic beads threaded and mounted on velvet backings were common embellishments. Certain objects associated with Malay weddings, such as a ceremonial handkerchief, were reinterpreted by Peranakans to incorporate Chinese designs.

10/02/2015 - 25/03/2015

National Museum, New Delhi, India

Baba Bling. The rich culture of the Peranakan Chinese of South-east Asia

The objects shown - furniture, embroidered and beaded textiles, porcelain and jewellery - which are a combination of Malay and Chinese culture, epitomise the Peranakan. They date principally from the late 19th and early 20th century. This period corresponds to an important time of richness in the history of the Peranakan community of Singapore.

5/10/2010 – 30/01/2011

Musée du quai Branly, Paris, France

Baba Bling: Peranakan Family Jewels

This exhibition will showcase some of the finest jewellery from Peranakan families and private collectors. Over 300 glittering jewels will be on display, which includes some of the oldest surviving pieces of Peranakan jewellery from the 19th century to contemporary pieces worn today. Visitors will be able to marvel at exquisite jewellery from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

29/05/2009 - 13/12/2009

Peranakan Museum, Singapore

I Due Imperi
The Two Empires: the Eagle and the Dragon

Two ancient cultures collide in an exhibition where the Roman Empire meets the Chinese Qui and Han dynasties (200 BC-200 AD), considered a golden age in China’s history. The exhibition displays 450 similar yet contrasting artefacts relating to both empires. Jade, lacquer and silks combine with marble statues, glass, mosaics, silver and bronze. With the participation of almost 50 museums, the exhibition is the result of extensive collaboration between China and Italy and is held in honour of the Cultural Year of China in Italy. This is the first time many of the Chinese treasures have left China and in addition to the items on view, the exhibition examines the role that both cultures played in world civilisation and how their legacies have contributed to modern-day philosophy, engineering, arts and politics. It also highlights their differences and similarities: both empires regarded themselves as the centre of the world and both empires ultimately fell.

19/11/2010 - 6/02/2011

Palazzo Venezia, Rome, Italy

Vanishing Traditions: Textiles and Treasures from Southwest China

Showcasing wearable textiles and ornaments, this exhibition displays the life, culture, and continuing loss of adornment skills of the minority people who live in Southwest China. The exhibition curator, Bea Roberts, shares her visually superb collection, acquired during her early visits to the region, when the villages were primarily intact in their cultural identity and before the traditions vanish in today's globalization race.

10/10/2009 – 5/12/2010

Design Museum, University of California, Davis, CA, USA

Ethnic Costumes, Textiles & Jewellery

This exhibition features, among others, elaborate costumes worn by the womenfolk of ethnic communities in the Yunnan province and other hilltribes of the Golden Triangle region bordering Southern China, Burma and Thailand. Items include entire dresses, headdresses, accessories, jewellery and shoes. Also featured are Malay textiles such as songket (woven cloth from the East Coast of the Malay Peninsula), and other items like sarong and selendang (shawl). Also included in the exhibition are beadwork and costumes from the indigenous Dayak community of Borneo.

1/05/2009 - 15/07/2009

The Art House Gallery Museum Of Ethnic Arts, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Pat Tseng - Emblems of Ethereal Grace

Timeless, exquisite and subtle, Pat Tseng’s work defies categorization: it is both jewelry and fine art. Her work has been exhibited in museums such as the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, and the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, and also in retail venues ranging from Saks Fifth Avenue to the Smithsonian. Her work combines contemporary craft and ageless artifact, using novel silk knotting techniques and patterns and integrating ancient Chinese jade, jewels, and carvings. The adornments in this particular exhibition represent the mature work of the artist at her best.

25/09/2010 – 11/01/2011

Chinese Culture Center Gallery, San Francisco CA, USA

From heaven brought - the craftmanship of a soul

International art jewelry designer and sculptor Wallace Chan continues his world tour showcasing his creations. Chan is recognized internationally as the only Chinese jewelry sculptor of revolutionary design and unique technique. He was born in China and grew up in a traditional Chinese cultural environment. He completed rigorous training as an ivory sculptor and studied art at university. A self-taught person by nature, in the mid-1980s he invented the "Wallace Cut," an image-carving and reflecting technique incorporating elements of cameo, intaglio and gem faceting. A rich practical knowledge of metallurgy and machinery led him to combine different kinds of gems, like opals and various metals, which are not easily combined. He “marries” them until they are melted or cast into one. Creative influences include traditional art realism, Buddhist art and Greco-Roman mythic motifs.

28/04/2010 - 27/06/2010

Capital Museum, Beijing, China

Manchu, the last empire.

The exhibition will present the precious collections from the old imperial capital of Mukden and the summer palace of Jehol, the legendary wardrobe of the Emperor's warriors, and the refined objects created by the finest artists of the Celestial Empire, not only jewels of exquisite workmanship in gold, jade and precious stones, but also musical instruments, weapons, harness for horses, along with historical evidence of the fatal confrontation with the West in the mid-nineteenth century culminating in the Boxer Rebellion in the summer of 1900.

23/10/2010 – 08/05/2011

Casa dei Carraresi, Treviso, Italy

The Secrets of the Forbidden City. Matteo Ricci in the Ming Court

Jade and gold and the colour purple can be considered the three elements that best represent the magnificence of the Ming period, one of the richest in the long history of China. Reddish purple, or vermilion, is the colour of much of the lacquer and of the very walls of the Forbidden City. The imperial jade known as “sheep fat” is far more precious than the green variety, and was exclusively reserved for the use of the court. Gold was the external mark of imperial dignity, but the refined skills of the Ming goldsmiths transformed it into objects of extraordinary imaginative power and symbols of splendour and wealth. Jade and gold combined with the precious stones that arrived as tribute from other Asian countries to create jewellery which, five hundred years later, seems of surprisingly modern taste and refined execution. These precious ornaments lavishly displayed the wealth of the empire and reminded outsiders of its powerful position at the true centre of the world. This aspect of the Ming period is also well represented in the rich collection of jewellery contained in the exhibition.

24/10/2009 – 09/05/2010

Casa dei Carraresi, Treviso, Italy

Son of Heaven

According to Chinese mythology, Pangu, the master of the universe, separated the sky and the earth. Between the two came the Son of Heaven, a sovereign whose task it was to maintain the harmony of the universe. The exhibition retraces the history of the ritual dialogue with heaven, from the Neolithic (around 3,500 BC) to the last dynasty, the Qing (1644-1912). Bronze sacrificial vessels, a jade shroud, gold and silver work, imperial robes, porcelain, astronomical instruments, and painted scrolls offer us insights into the lives of the emperors. These fascinating works reconnect the dialogue with heaven with life. This unique exhibition presents 250 works from six Chinese provinces and from the Museum of the Forbidden City in Beijing.

10/10/2009 – 24/01/2010

Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, Belgium

The Miao from head to toe

This exhibition, which is part of the Europalia.china festival, reflects the exuberance and abstraction of clothing and jewelry of the Miao minority. In parallel, creators, including Michael and Julie Menuge Guerra, stylists, and Cécile Le Talec, sound artist, create works, objects and textiles in dialogue with the Chinese pieces exhibited and build bridges between two cultures.

7/11/2009 – 14/02/2010

Le Grand Curtius, Liege, Belgium

Masters of Adornment: The Miao People of China

This exhibition presents women's textiles and silver jewelry from the Miao culture living in southwest China. Featuring approximately 80 objects, mostly drawn from the Bowers Museum's permanent collection, the exhibition includes several distinct examples of Miao women's festive wear paired with finely crafted jewelry. More than an examination of masterful techniques and styles, these objects reveal hundreds of years of Miao history and tradition and the required patience and dedication to achieve beauty.

15/11/2008 - 30/04/2009

Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, Santa Ana, CA, USA

Indonesian

Mannheim

Javagold – Pracht und Schönheit Indonesiens
Java Gold - Splendour and Beauty of Indonesia

Java - deep rainforests, dangerous volcanoes and mysterious temples. For over 1000 years, the Indonesian island world was home to powerful Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms. Timelessly beautiful jewellery and cult objects announce today their long past glory and artistry. They are made from the material that has been captivating people for millennia - gold. This exhibition presents around 400 unique treasures as a fascinating kaleidoscope of Hindu and Buddhist craftsmanship. Golden masterpieces such as rings, bracelets and chokers as well as impressive tiaras were often reserved for specific groups, strata or life phases. They tell of a society in which power, religious claims and beauty were expressed through gold objects. The filigree decorated gems always have ritual or social significance in addition to their decorative function. They can be read off the varied motifs. Most of the treasures from a private collection can be seen in public for the first time.

15/09/2019 - 13/04/2020

Reiss-Engelhorn Museums, Museum Weltkulturen D5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany

Gold of the Gods from Java

The kings of Java attired themselves with golden jewellery, like the Hindu-Buddhist gods. Gold represents the Upper World, the sun, wealth, power, prestige, sophistication and dignified elegance. The jewellery displayed dates from the 8th century to the 15th century. No less than five complete golden sets of body decoration, unique in the world, are exhibited here for the first time. This rare collection is owned by one art collector. It is complemented by the finest Javanese gold from Dutch museums and private collections, as well as from private collections from abroad. The result is a breathtaking brilliance of seven centuries of divine gold. The representations on the headdresses, diadems, breastplates, bracelets, and rings make the divine status of the monarchs even more explicit. Lion’s heads and elephants symbolise royal power, wisdom, and a long life. Floral patterns symbolise the inner strength of nature. Gemstones refer to magic insight. The large size seems to make regular use of the jewellery particularly difficult. However, imposing stone statues of the gods show how the kings used to wear the Gold of the Gods.

2/10/2014 - 6/04/2015

Wereldmuseum, Willemskade 22-25, Rotterdam, Netherlands

Gold from Java, silver from Batavia

The legendary Indonesia of the past comes to brilliant life in the sumptuous gold jewellery of the pre-colonial Javanese court culture (0-1500 AD) on show this summer, for the first time ever, in contrast to silver objects made for 17th and 18th century functionaries of the Dutch East India Company (VOC).

21/04/2012 – 4/11/2012

Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, Stadhouderslaan 41, 2517 HV Den Haag, Netherlands

Old Javanese Gold: The Hunter Thompson Collection

In the early centuries of the Common Era, a civilization rose up in Indonesia that became a locus of trade, culture, and religion, the most impressive traces of which were found on the island of Java. Ancient Javanese artifacts in gold display exceptional skill and artistry and are a significant source of information on aspects of Javanese society, culture, religion, economy, and technology. Old Javanese Gold: The Hunter Thompson Collection presents a selection of around 200 objects from the Hunter Thompson Collection, one of the founding donations to the Gallery's new Department of Indo-Pacific Art, including jewelry, sculptures, coins, statues, containers, and accessories.

25/03/2011 – 14/08/2011

Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT, USA

Japanese

Jewelry Museum Collection Exhibit: Yamanashi and Jewellery

At first glance, this may seem like an unusual pairing.
High-quality quartz crystals were once mined in Yamanashi. There is a history of quartz crystals have been mined in Yamanashi since the Jomon period (approximately 5,000 to 3,000 years ago).
The industry evolved in the Edo period (1603-1868) with the introduction of polishing techniques from Kyoto. These techniques have been passed down over generations and are still in use today by the present-day jewellery industry.
Today, Yamanashi is one of the most unique places in the world for jewellery industry. It is the industrial cluster of specialised jewellery workshops and companies for the processing of gemstones,crystals, and precious metals, as well as for crystal art engraving.
This museum opened in 2013 to raise awareness about the high level of jewellery technology in the local Yamanashi industry.
This exhibition of the Jewellery Museum Collection focuses on the jewellery that expresses changing seasons from autumn to winter and the jewellery designs symbolise Yamanashi.
Please enjoy the delicate and beautiful jewellery from Yamanashi.

28/10/2022 – 27/02/2023

Yamanashi Jewelry Museum, 1-6-1 Marunouchi, Kofu-shi, Yamanashi 400-0031, Japan

Special Exhibition Celebrating the Enthronement of His Majesty the Emperor Shosoin: Essential Treasures of Ancient Japan Passed Down by the Imperial Family

In celebration of the enthronement of His Majesty the Emperor, the Museum will hold a special exhibition featuring culturally significant pieces from the formative Asuka and Nara periods (593–794). Visitors will have the rare opportunity to view the Shosoin Treasures and the Horyuji Treasures together in a single exhibition hall. As befits the inaugural year of the Imperial era “Reiwa,” this special exhibition will also provide insight into the history of Japanese culture for international audiences. The significance of these works lies not only in their status as masterpieces passed down by the Imperial Household, but also in their inestimable cultural value that grows with each passing year.

14/10/2019 - 24/11/2019

Heiseikan, Tokyo National Museum, 13-9 Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo, 110-8712, Japan

Oosters Licht. De invloed van Japan op de Westerse kunst
Oriental Light - The influence of Japan on Western art

With the birthplace of European civilization we often think of Syria, Sumeria, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Rome. Although this is where the roots of Western civilization lie, we must note that in the mid-19th century an unexpected influence came from the East. Through the Kanagawa treaty in 1854, Japan opened its doors to the West. The treaty led to a civil war in Japan that was only stopped in 1867 by the installation of a new emperor, also known as the Meiji restoration. In Europe, the second industrial revolution had made it possible for a new elite within society to emerge that had acquired power not through inheritance (such as nobility) but through its own efforts. This led to a new injection of capital but also to the loss of the old guild systems. In England in particular, people longed for the old craftsmanship. Under the leadership of William Morris and John Ruskin, the Art & Crafts movement was established that had set itself the goal of reintroducing well-crafted craftsmanship at an affordable price. Yet this movement, together with the influence of Japanese art in the West, led to a new movement, 'Art Nouveau' from 1895. Although Art Nouveau was the result of everything that preceded it, it was also a complete break with it. The forms focused on nature and old animistic or polytheic symbolism. The latter in particular differ essentially from the Christian tradition in which oppositions such as "good and evil", "god versus devil" are decisive for thinking. Within the animistic "thinking" or rather "perceiving" one experiences everything as a "whole" and therefore undivided. This influence could not only be observed in art, but above all in the new way of thinking within Western society. The oeuvre of this exhibition will include work by the following artists: Lalique, Mucha, Gallé, Daum, Knox, Van de Velde, Majorelle, Macintosh, Maison Vever, Fouquet, Gautrait and many others. Work by other artists will also be exhibited that is generally not as well known to the general public but is of the same high quality as that of Lalique or Mucha.

8/07/19 - 7/11/2019

Lalique Museum Nederland, Gasthuisstraat 1, 6981 CP, Doesburg, Netherlands

Inro – Gürtelschmuck aus Japan
Inro - Japanese Belt Ornaments. The Anna and Christian Trumpf Collection

Inrō are sets of small cases nested within one another, and were predominantly used to carry official seals and medicine. Inrō were attached to a sash by a toggle (netsuke). These cases first came into fashion in the 16th century and remained a striking accessory of Japanese men's fashion up until the end of the 1800s. Rich in symbolism and not uncommonly incorporating narrative elements, these objects allow for valuable insights into Japanese culture. Meticulously detailed and lovingly crafted, inro were mostly finished in lacquer. These elegant cases remain to this day beloved by collectors. This small-scale exhibition presents a selection of the Linden Museum's extensive inrō collection in the East Asia Department, and pairs these inrō with a large assortment of netsuke.

19/03/2016 - 29/01/2017

Linden-Museum Stuttgart, Staatliches Museum für Völkerkunde, Hegelplatz 1, 70174 Stuttgart, Germany

Life in Miniature: Ceramic Netsuke from the Silverman Collection

The people of Japan created some of the most opulent personal accessories during the Edo Period (1615–1868) in order to attach inro (cases) to their elaborate silk clothing. Japanese artists invented miniature sculptures known as netsuke (pronounced NET-skeh) as fasteners for luxury-loving Japanese citizens. The tiny treasures, which were worn primarily by men, have since been collected for their wit, whimsy and craftsmanship. Approximately 200 rare ceramic netsuke were recently donated to the Museum by Richard R. Silverman, one of the most prominent collectors of netsuke in the world, and are being exhibited for the first time. Life in Miniature explores the iconography of these decorative and useful objects and their depiction of everyday and fantastic subject matter. Also shown are Japanese screens depicting Kyoto, where many of the objects were made and sold, and a kimono with netsuke illustrating how these delightful fashion accessories were worn.

1/10/2010 – 27/02/2011

Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo OH, USA

Jueri No Ima. Modern Japanese Jewellery

International contemporary jewellery by 8 Japanese artists working in the UK, Germany, Japan, Singapore and the USA

20/11/2010 – 22/01/2011

Bluecoat Display Centre, Liverpool, UK

Korean

Silla Collection 100 Project

The Silla Collection 100 Project consists of 100 brooches inspired by traditional jewellery and accessories from the Korean Silla dynasty (57 BCE-935 CE). The Silla dynasty saw the art of metalworking reach its height with craftspeople manufacturing elaborate jewellery and crowns made from incredibly thin sheets of gold and studded with expensive imported gems. These historic examples inspired the artist and crafts woman, Seeun Kim to create her own, modern take on the tradition.
Seeun Kim is a Korean metalworker and jeweller who trained in traditional jewellery making at Hiko-Mizuno College of Jewellery, Japan (2012 – 2016) before studying at the Royal College of Art, London (2018 – 2020). Seeun believes that jewellery manufacture is her vocation and enjoys merging the traditional and the modern in terms of style, materials and techniques. She has participated in a number of group and solo exhibitions in the UK, China and Japan.

19/05/2021 - 12/09/2021

Oriental Museum, Elvet Hill, Durham DH1 3TH, UK

Wind in the Pines... 5000 years of Korean Art

The 354 exhibits brought from Seoul to create “Wind in the Pines,” which takes its name from a traditional Korean melody, include 12 items that hold the status of Treasure or National Treasure. The artifacts include finds from archaeological excavations of royal burial mounds, jewelry, sculptures, books, prints, portraits and even furniture. The exposition is chronologically arranged, opening with pots dating from 3000 BC, and Bronze-Age stone daggers and horse-shaped belt hooks. One of the highlights of the show is a selection of gold jewelry found in the burial mounds of Silla, which emerged from the Three Kingdoms Period as the ruling dynasty of Korea until the late 9th century. The celebrated finds included six gold-leaf crowns, one of which has been brought to the Hermitage, along with a phoenix ornament from a crown, and some spectacularly long, intricate earrings, rings and bracelets. Other jewelry on display includes necklaces made out of glass and jade and curved jade pendants.

1/06/2010 – 5/09/2010

The Hermitage, St Petersburg, Russia

The Sixth Sense: Contemporary Jewelry from Korea

Organized by Fuller Craft Museum and curated by Kiwon Wang, this exhibition will highlight new work by contemporary Korean jewelry artists and provide and intimate look at the spiritual and aesthetic elements of Korean jewelry while bringing to light the importance of Korean artists on the international art scene.

31/01/2009 – 26/07/2009

Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA, USA

Mongolian

Court and Craft. A Masterpiece from Northern Iraq

Discover the story behind one of the most extraordinary objects in The Courtauld's collection: a bag made in Northern Iraq around 1300. No other object of this kind is known. Inlaid with gold and silver and decorated with a courtly scene showing an enthroned couple as well as musicians, hunters and revellers, it ranks as one of the finest pieces of Islamic metalwork in existence. The bag was made for a lady in the courtly circles of the Mongol Ilkhanid dynasty, established in west Asia by Genghis Khan’s grandson, Hulagu. This exhibition considers this luxury craft tradition before and after the Mongol invasion. This exhibition explores the origin and cultural context of this extraordinary object, alongside displays of illustrated manuscripts, ceramics and other luxury crafts.

20/02/2014 – 18/05/2014

The Courtauld Gallery, The Courtauld Institute of Art, Somerset House, Strand, London, WC2R 0RN, UK

Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire

The exhibition Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire is devoted to the history and culture of the Mongol nation and chronologically embraces the period of the rule of the Mongol emperor Genghis Khan (1155 – 1227) and the founding by his grandson Khubilai of the Chinese Yuan dynasty which influenced strongly the modern scientific and cultural world. The exhibition was organized by the Inner Mongolian Museum, the Mongolian National Museum, the China Cultural Relics Bureau and the State Hermitage Museum from the collection of which 84 artifacts are presented.

27/02/2009 - 7/09/2009

Genghis Khan and the Mongol Empire, Houston, TX, USA

10/10/2009 - 10/01/2010

Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Denver, Colorado, USA

Philippines

Philippine Gold: Treasures of Forgotten Kingdoms

This exhibition presents spectacular works of gold primarily discovered over the past forty years on the Philippine islands of Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao. The regalia, jewelry, ceremonial weapons, and ritualistic and funerary objects attest to the recently uncovered evidence of prosperity and achievement of Philippine polities that flourished between the tenth and thirteenth centuries, long before the Spanish discovered and colonized the region. Although the forms and styles of the majority of these works developed locally, some indicate that Philippine craftsmen had been exposed to objects from beyond their borders through the robust cultural connections and maritime trade in Southeast Asia during what was an early Asian economic boom. The Philippines has the second largest gold deposit in the world. The works on view here—from tiny gold tweezers to fabulous pieces of jewelry—reveal that these natural resources were readily exploited by the local people between the tenth and thirteenth centuries. While the diverse objects offer clues about those who produced and used them, future finds will hopefully provide further information about the once flourishing but now lost cultures that created these sophisticated treasures.

11/09/2015 - 3/01/2016

Asia Society and Museum, 725 Park Avenue (at 70th Street), New York, NY 10021, USA

Philippines, archipel des échanges

The exhibition brings together a selection of unique works of art from the Philippines, chosen from public collections in the Philippines, America and Europe as well as from private collections. The Philippines archipelago includes more than 7000 islands and stretches over nearly 1700 km. The geographical and historical situation of its people has generated strong and varied artistic expression in the natural environment of the monsoon regions of Asia. Based on the geography of the archipelago are two visions, one turned towards the mountains, the other looking out to sea, which set the tone of this exhibition of a civilisation underpinned by the central theme of exchange. Exchange is understood as an object which is given and received, intent on seeing, and presupposing a relationship to the other. Whether symbolic or commercial, exchange creates relationships between visible or invisible beings. This exhibition, containing more than 300 works, is the first major exhibition in France in the last twenty years devoted to the archipelago of the Philippines. A catalogue of the exhibition is available in French or English for €47.

9/04/2013 - 14/07/2013

Musée du quai Branly, 37, quai Branly, 75007 Paris, France

The Guild's Jewelry Design Competition 2006 to 2007 - Jewellery from the Philippines

In 2006 and 2007 the Guild of Philippine Jewellers organized a design competition for students, to design Philippine jewellery with greater contemporary relevance. 26 candidates were selected from 300 participants. 13 works in precious metal are on show, with precious stones such as diamonds, sapphires, amethysts and pearls and jewels with typical materials used in the Philippines such as bamboo, water buffalo horn, wood and leather

09/07/09 – 30/08/09

Deutsches Goldschmiedehaus, Hanau, Germany

Taiwanese

Exotic Formosa – Contemporary Jewellery from Taiwan, created by Ruan Weng Mong

The goldsmith and sculptor Ruan Weng Mong is a mediator between different worlds: born in Taiwan with Chinese-Japanese roots, and trained as a goldsmith in Germany, plus serving as President of the Goldsmiths’ Guild in Nuremberg for many years, he is at home on several continents. His artworks elegantly wed his sensibility for materials and his appreciation of (gem)stones to clear-cut shapes that connote both a European and an Asian formal idiom. While working as an instructor and lecturer in Taiwan, he was one of the first to introduce international contemporary jewellery to Taiwan, and contributed towards paving the way for the inspirational, top-level international exchange of ideas that is taking place there nowadays. The exhibition will be showcasing about 140 of his works in the genres of jewellery, sculpture and graphic art, created over a period of more than 40 years. This is the first time that contemporary Taiwanese-Asian jewellery and artistically created objects will be shown in Germany.

Cancelled due to covid

Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim, Jahnstraße 42, 75173 Pforzheim, Germany

Vietnamese

Vietnam’s antiques

The exhibition, co-organized with the Thang Long Artifacts Association, aims at promoting the national antiques preservation. It showcases more than 50 antiques selected carefully from many collections of the museum’s members. The objects range from the Dong Son civilization 2,500 years ago to the Nguyen Dynasty in the 19th century and include bronze and pottery such as kettledrums, bells, caskets and jars. More importantly, it exhibits a collection of skillfully crafted jewelry from the Nguyen Dynasty such as gold bracelets inlaid with crystal, gold hair brooch carved in phoenix image and jewelry made of gold and silver, presenting the dexterity of Vietnamese artisans at that time. This is the first time these objects have been displayed in Hanoi, although they were collected over the past five years.

25/07/2012 - 25/08/2012

Vietnam National Museum of History, 1 Trang Tien St, Hanoi, Vietnam

Arts of Ancient Viet Nam: From River Plain to Open Sea

This exhibition will introduce new scholarship on the history of Vietnamese art. Approximately 110 objects dating from the first millennium B.C. through the seventeenth century on rare loan from Viet Nam’s leading museums will be on view. Highlights of the exhibition include ritual bronzes, terracotta burial wares, fine gold jewelry, Hindu and Buddhist sculptures and ornaments made of jade, lapis lazuli, crystal and carnelian. The works have never been exhibited in the United States and many have never traveled outside of Viet Nam.

13/09/2009 - 3/01/2010

Houston Museum of Natural Science, Houston, TX, USA

Central Asian

Scythians: warriors of ancient Siberia

2,500 years ago groups of formidable warriors roamed the vast open plains of Siberia. Feared, loathed, admired – but over time forgotten… Until now. This major exhibition explores the story of the Scythians – nomadic tribes and masters of mounted warfare, who flourished between 900 and 200 BC. Their encounters with the Greeks, Assyrians and Persians were written into history but for centuries all trace of their culture was lost – buried beneath the ice.

14/09/2017 – 14/01/2018

British Museum, Great Russell Street, London, WC1B 3DG, UK

The Amazons - mysterious warrior women

Exhibition about the legendary warriors of ancient times with sensational grave finds from the Eurasian steppes, such as jewellery, weapons and skeletons, presented in public for the first time.

5/09/2010 – 13/02/2011

Historisches Museum der Pfalz, Speyer, Germany

Turkomen Jewelry from the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art

10/02/2012 to 25/03/2012

Florida State University Museum of Fine Arts, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1140, USA

Splendid Treasures of the Turkomen Tribes from Central Asia

The Central Asian landscape can be bleak and harsh, but the lives of the Turkomen tribes who inhabit the region are enriched by their skill at creating sophisticated and elaborate jewelry. This exhibition features a collection of more than 40 objects, recently donated by Stephen Van C. Wilberding, former senior advisor to the Saudi Arabia Monetary Agency, created in the late 19th to early 20th centuries, focusing on the important milestones and rhythms of daily life of these semi-nomadic people. These objects provide a unique window into the extraordinary decorative and spiritual elements of these tribes and their pastoral lifestyles.

24/04/2010 – 30/01/2011

The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota FL, USA

Afghani

Gem: Contemporary Jewellery and Gemstones from Afghanistan

This exhibition shows how through residencies, skills development and the exchange of ideas, Afghan jewellery design and manufacture has been both restored and enriched. This has led sustainable economic development and improved prospects and livelihoods. Gem also illustrates how UK – Afghan collaboration has helped inform UK jewellery design. Internationally renowned British jewellers have been inspired by Afghan design, processes and gemstones to develop new, innovative products which reflect the best of our creative industries.”

8/10/2013 – 29/11/2013

British Council, 10 Spring Gardens, London SW1A 2BN, London

3/10/2014 - 8/11/2014

Dovecot Studios Ltd, 10 Infirmary Street, Edinburgh EH1 1LT, UK

Afghanistan: Crossroads of the Ancient World

For centuries, Afghanistan has been the point where civilisations have crossed paths, a critical point for trade and where great powers met. This major exhibition is the first of its kind to be seen in the UK in over 40 years. It features over 200 objects from 2000 BC to the 1st century AD, the earliest of which are from a gold hoard reflecting links with Central Asia and eastern Iran. The objects are all on loan from the National Museum, Kabul. They were thought to have been lost following the Soviet invasion in 1979 and the subsequent civil war. However, during this period, a handful of Afghan officials deliberately concealed these precious objects to save them from destruction. They are now travelling the world, highlighting the importance of the cultural heritage of Afghanistan, and the remarkable achievements and trading connections of these past civilisations.

21/01/2011 – 17/07/2011

The British Museum, London, UK

Afghanistan: Hidden Treasures from the National Museum, Kabul

In the late 1970s archaeologists working in Afghanistan discovered the remnants of an ancient cemetery dating from around the time of Christ’s birth. Some of the graves yielded large numbers of spectacular gold ornaments of incalculable artistic and cultural value. The legendary finds bear witness to the ancient kingdom of Bactria, situated at the crossroads of a wide range of Eastern and Western cultures. Conceived by the Musée Guimet in Paris, the exhibition presents some 220 works that have miraculously survived the decades of war and destruction that have ravaged Afghanistan.

22/02/2009 - 17/05/2009

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX, USA

23/06/2009 - 20/09/2009

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York NY, USA

23/10/2009 – 24/04/2010

Canadian Museum of Civilization, Gatineau, Quebec, Canada

11/06/2010 - 3/10/2010

Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland GmbH, Bonn, Germany

22/03/2013 - 28/07/2013

Melbourne Museum, Nicholson Street, Carlton Gardens, Victoria, Australia

5/09/2013 - 27/01/2014

Queensland Museum South Bank, Corner of Grey & Melbourne Streets, South Bank, South Brisbane

1/03/2014 - 1/06/2014

Art Gallery of NSW, Art Gallery Rd, The Domain 2000, Sydney

26/07/2014 - 16/11/2014

Western Australian Museum, Perth Cultural Centre, James Street, Perth, Western Australia, 6000

12/04/2016 - 19/06/2016

Hyokeikan, Tokyo National Museum, 5-21-9, Shirokanedai, Minato-ku Tokyo, 108-0071 Japan

17/03/2017 - 17/06/2017

The Palace Museum, 4 Jingshan Qianjie, Beijing 100009, China

Himalayan

Tibet. Tesori dal Tetto del Mondo

This important exhibition contains over 300 precious artefacts dating from the fourteenth century to the present day, most of which have never before left China and Tibet. It will include clothing, ornaments, jewellery and everyday objects, as well as religious objects of all kinds.

20/10/2012 – 2/06/2013

Casa dei Carraresi, Via Palestro, 33 – Treviso, Italy

Indian Tibet – Tibetan India. Western Himalayas’ cultural heritage

This is the first time ever that the little known region of the Western Himalayas is presented in an exhibition, concentrating on three expeditions to the region. The exhibition will include textiles and jewellery, bronze sculptures from Hinduism and Buddhism, ritual objects, thangka paintings, and dance masks, accompanied by large-scale historical and contemporary photographs and multimedia installations. The exhibition is possible due to the cooperative efforts of Historisches und Völkerkundemuseum St. Gallen, the Linden-Museum Stuttgart and the Völkerkundemuseum Herrnhut.

23/10/2010 – 1/05/2011

Linden-Museum, Stuttgart, Germany

Jewellery from the Himalayan kingdoms

Around 180 pieces, jewellery, amulets and necklaces, from the collection of Bianca Maggi, accompanied by a series of photographs taken in the Himalayan territory by her daughter, Susanna Melesi.

16/05/2009 – 28/06/2009

Galleria Civica, Campione D'Italia, Italy

Crowns of the Vajra Masters: Ritual Art of Nepal

The single most potent symbol of Buddhist ritual as performed in Nepal is the Vajracarya priest's crown. Five examples presented in this exhibition will create a cosmic field into which viewers will enter, encircled by paintings of ritual performance. The exhibition is occasioned by the recent acquisition of a superb early Vajracarya crown dating to the 13th or early 14th century; this will be joined by an 18th-century crown already in the collection and two others recently discovered in the Department of Arms and Armor. Bronze and wooden ritual utensils, Nepalese cloth paintings, and archival photographs of ritual enactment will complete the exhibition.

16/12/2017 - 16/12/2018

The Met Fifth Avenue, 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10028, USA

South Asian

Treasures of a Desert Kingdom

Alluring jewellery, lavish tents and canopies, vibrant paintings, and opulent decorative arts tell stories of kingship, strategic alliances, the role of women and life at court. Amassed over the course of nearly four centuries, these treasures reflect the history and artistic legacy of the Rathore dynasty, one of the longest continuous royal lineages in the world, that ruled this desert kingdom until India’s independence in 1947. The exhibition features masterpieces drawn from the collection of the former royal family, most of which are on display outside their palace setting for the very first time. While the stunning objects highlight India’s multifaceted past, they reveal a lasting cosmopolitan culture that was sustained by a delicate balance between local and external influences, and tradition and modernity.

21/09/2019 – 23/02/2020

Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park, Toronto, ON M5S 2C6, Canada

Adornment: Jewelry of South Asia’s Nomadic Cultures

During the 19th and early 20th centuries, cattle-herding nomads from tribes as geographically and culturally diverse as the Ersari and Kuchi of Afghanistan, the Balti of Pakistan, and the Rabari and Ahir of India moved seasonally across Central and South Asia in search of fresh pastures. Although they carried few belongings, these travelers developed a material legacy of adornment practices embodied in the textiles and finely crafted jewellery they wore and bartered, practices that continued as they settled into modest villages over time. This focused exhibition, made up of promised works from the collection of Barbara and David Kipper, presents a sampling of these objects, from ornate headdresses to simple stud earrings, lending insight into their cultural legacy.

2/11/2019 – 9/01/2021

Art Institute of Chicago, 111 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60603, USA

Set in Stone: Gems and Jewels from Royal Indian Courts

In celebration of the 2019 Year of Culture Qatar-India, the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) is delighted to present an exhibition on magnificent gems and jewellery from India. Set in Stone: Gems and Jewels from Royal Indian Courts will showcase more than 100 spectacular pieces from across Qatar Museums’ collection, including many masterpieces that have never been displayed before. Drawing from MIA’s permanent collection, the National Museum of Qatar, and Qatar Museum’s Orientalist Collection, this exhibition will bring together a splendid array of jewellery, jewelled objects, works on paper, and photography, including highlights such as MIA’s famous gold and gem-set falcon and the brilliant diamond necklace from Varanasi. Whether left in their natural state, carved, or set within gold, precious stones adorned a variety of objects that came to be associated with the wealthy elite, Emperors and Maharajas. Spectacularly opulent, these objects defined Indian luxury. The exhibition’s journey begins with ancient mines and ends with contemporary Qatari jewellery. Starting with “Precious Stones”, the visitor discovers the cultural and economic significance of stones in India before then experiencing the rich role gems play within the “Court and Ceremony” of the Mughal Empire. The third section, “Beyond the Court” shows the personal, private and devotional function of jewellery, highlighting the amazing diversity of craftsmanship across India. Lastly, “Qatar Connection: Pearls for Gold” illustrates the longstanding cultural and commercial ties between Qatar and India, as seen through jewellery.

23/10/2019 - 18/01/2020

Museum of Islamic Art, Corniche, Doha, Qatar

Jewels of India: The Nizam's Jewellery Collection

The Nizams' Jewellery is one of the largest and richest collections, comprising 173 precious jewels and jewellery items of exquisite workmanship covering a period ranging from the 18th to the early 20th century. It was purchased in 1995 by the Government of India at a cost of Rs. 218 Crore. The collection had remained in the custody of "H.E.H. Nizam Jewellery Trust" and "H.E.H. Nizam Supplemental Jewellery Trust" formed by the last Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan in 1951-1952 to safe-guard the ancestral wealth of the family. The trustees kept this treasure of great historical value in the vaults of Hong Kong Bank. When the Government of India acquired this collection in 1995, after a prolonged legal battle, it was shifted to the vaults of Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Mumbai, for safety, where it remained till 29 June 2001. It has now been shifted to the National Museum for a befitting display, the preparations of which are complete from all points of view including round-the-clock security. The collection includes sarpeches, necklaces, belts and buckles, pairs of bracelets and bangles, earrings, armlets, toe rings, finger rings, pocket watch and watch chains, buttons and cufflinks, etc. While the diamonds from the celebrated mines of Golconda and Colombian emeralds predominate, Burmese rubies and spinels and pearls from Basra and the Gulf of Mannar, off the east coast of India, also form part of the Exhibition. All the jewels are flamboyant, yet amidst the dazzle of precious gems, individual pieces stand out by virtue of their antiquity and the merit of their craftsmanship. Most outstanding among this collection is the Imperial diamond now known as the Jacob diamond, weighing 184.75 carats, which is a fabulous weight for any single gemstone. It is an invaluable sparkling diamond in all aspects, including its brilliant cutting, clarity and colour. It is almost double the size of the Kohinoor Diamond (in its present shape). Another item is a collection of 22 unset emerald pieces. Also an exceptionally large variety of cut emeralds, emerald drops, emerald beads, Taveez and many other shapes of Jewellery from Colombia and Russia and two ornamented belts, one studded with a cut and the other with a carved emerald, which have their own charm. The quantity of emeralds may run into a couple of thousand carats.

18/02/2019 - 31/05/2019

National Museum, Janpath, New Delhi 110 011, India

Emperors & Jewels: Treasures of the Indian Courts from The al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait

Whether they are gem-studded rings and cups, intricately carved dagger hilts and trays, or any of the many other glittering artworks on display, all the objects in this exhibition reflect the opulence of life at the courts of the Mughals and their contemporaries. As great patrons of the jewelled arts, which blended Central Asian, Persian, and Indian traditions, the Mughals contributed to a flowering of creativity and craftsmanship in India from the 16th to 19th centuries. Paintings from the Aga Khan Museum’s Collection, showing receptions and gardens, hunts and battles are displayed both as original miniatures and as spectacular enlargements, setting the scene for the jewelled artworks and revealing how passionate Mughal princes were about art and beauty, adorning themselves “with all splendour and magnificence,” both to feast and to fight.

18/08/2018 – 27/01/2019

Aga Khan Museum, 77 Wynford Dr, Toronto, ON M3C 1K1, Canada

Centuries of Opulence: Jewels of India

This exhibit features 50 exquisite gemstone jewellery pieces and objects from India on loan from a private collection. Never seen in public, these pieces - including several from the magnificent Mughal Empire (1526–1857) - showcase more than 300 years of adornment from the 17th to the 20th centuries. The exhibit explores the distant sources of the diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires and other gems decorating these pieces, their religious and cultural symbolism, the wars fought for them and the historical tradition of gemology in India.

13/10/2017 – 10/10/2018

GIA Museum, World Headquarters and The Robert Mouawad Campus, 5345 Armada Drive, Carlsbad, CA 92008, USA

Empire of the Sikhs

This summer heralds a major exhibition telling the story of the last great native kingdom which challenged the British for supremacy of the Indian subcontinent. Over 100 dazzling artworks and objects from leading private and public collections will be on show, including a rock crystal replica of the original, uncut Koh-i-Noor diamond from the Royal Collection, and personal items that belonged to Maharaja Ranjit Singh and the most famous of his thirty ‘official’ wives, Maharani Jind Kaur.

12/07/2018 - 23/09/2018

Brunei Gallery, SOAS University of London, 10 Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG, UK

Splendours of the Subcontinent. A Prince's Tour of India 1875-6

Some of the finest Indian treasures from the Royal Collection will go on display in a new Royal Collection Trust exhibition that tells the story of the grand tour of the Subcontinent made by the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) at the end of the 19th century. In October 1875, the Prince of Wales set off on a four-month tour, visiting over 21 localities, which today encompass India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Nepal. Travelling nearly 7,600 miles by land and 2,300 miles by sea, he met over 90 rulers of the different regions he visited. The exhibition tells the story of the tour through watercolours, photographs and 74 exquisite works of art that were presented to the Prince as part of the traditional exchange of gifts. Many of these items were precious heirlooms from the rulers' toshakhanas – personal treasuries – while others were specially commissioned from local artisans. Recognising the cultural and artistic merit of the gifts he had received, the Prince made arrangements for the items to be placed on public display when he returned to Britain, first at the South Kensington Museum (now the Victoria and Albert Museum), and later in Paris and at museums across the UK.

11/03/2017 – 18/06/2017

Cartwright Hall Art Gallery, Lister Park, Bradford BD9 4NS, UK

8/07/2017 – 29/10/2017

New Walk Museum & Art Gallery, 53 New Walk, Leicester, LE1 7EA, UK

15/12/2017 – 15/04/2018

Palace of Holyroodhouse, Canongate, The Royal Mile, Edinburgh EH8 8DX, UK

8/06/2018 - 14/10/2018

The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace, Buckingham Palace Road, SW1A 1AA, UK

Enduring Splendor. Jewelry of India’s Thar Desert

This exhibition focuses on the rich and diverse silver jewellery traditions of India’s Thar Desert region, which stretches across the western states of Rajasthan and Gujarat. These traditions will be considered against the background of the five-thousand-year history of jewellery making across the vast Indian Subcontinent. The exhibition will include important sculptures and paintings borrowed from LACMA to demonstrate the profusion and variety of jewellery worn by Hindu gods and goddesses in ancient times and by maharajas and maharanis from the 17th to early 19th centuries. Drawing on recent field research carried out in the city of Jaisalmer, a thriving center of contemporary jewellery production, 'Enduring Splendor' will explore for the first time the life and work of four sonis (silversmiths or goldsmiths). To contextualize this recent production, the exhibition will feature an extensive survey of 19th- and 20th-century jewellery types that are still worn by men and women of the region. These have been borrowed from the Ronald and Maxine Linde Collection of Jewelry and Ritual Arts of India, part of a promised gift to ucla, where it will find its future home with the Fowler Museum. The Linde Collection is one of the finest and most comprehensive collections of Indian jewellery in the world, and the Fowler exhibition highlights elaborate styles rendered in silver as well as selected ornate examples made with gold and gemstones.

19/02/2017 - 18/06/2017

Fowler Museum, 308 Charles E Young Dr N, Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA

East Meets West: Jewels of the Maharajas from the Al Thani Collection

This exhibition will explore themes of influence and exchange between India and Europe through jewellery, jewel-encrusted jades, famous gemstones, enameled gold and other precious works of art. East Meets West will feature over one hundred and fifty objects made in India or inspired by India, ranging in date from the seventeenth century to the 1930s. Under successive rulers, Indian jewellery and works of art developed different characters, the Mughals arriving in the sixteenth century brought Persian and Muslim influences, the British raj in the nineteenth century imported European styles and craftsmanship, but in the twentieth century influences flowed in the opposite direction with Indian jewelry inspiring great European jewellery houses, such as Cartier, to make pieces in the Indian style.

3/11/2018 - 24/02/2019

Legion of Honor Museum, Lincoln Park, 100 34th Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94121, USA

Tesori dei Moghul e dei Maharaja. La collezione Al Thani
Treasures of the Mughals and the Maharajas: the Al Thani collection

Dazzling gems, precious stones and jewels brimming with centuries of history and legend, together with historic and contemporary creations take us on a journey through five centuries of sheer beauty and remarkable craftsmanship charting the glorious tradition of Indian jewellery: from the descendants of Genghis Khan and Tamerlane to the great Maharajas, whose lavish jewellery commissions in the 20th century produced stunning and innovative works from the European jewellery houses. Promoted by Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia and presented against a stunning and ethereal backdrop in the Doge’s Palace, Venice, the exhibition Treasures of the Mughals and of the Maharajas – The Al Thani Collection will give the Italian public the first-ever opportunity to admire nearly 300 pieces from the precious collection assembled by His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani, a member of the Qatari Royal Family.

9/09/2017 – 3/01/2018

Palazzo Ducale, San Marco,1 30135 Venezia, Italy

Des Grands Moghols aux Maharadjahs. Joyaux de la collection Al-Thani

This exhibition allows visitors to immerse themselves in the jewellery traditions of the Indian subcontinent, from the Mughal period to the modern day, installed within an evocative and ethereal setting. The evolution of gem-setting and jewellery will be shown through over 250 exceptional pieces from the Al Thani Collection, together with major works on loan from prestigious institutions and private collections. Famous historic Indian diamonds, spectacular precious objects and legendary pieces of jewellery will be brought together to represent the evolution of taste and technique in India’s jewelled arts over five centuries. The exhibition also presents the major developments in Indian jewellery traditions, from the peak of XVIIth century Mughal imperial patronage through years of political chaos and colonisation from the XVIIIth century onwards, to the age of the Durbar, great ceremonies that provided Indian sovereigns with a new setting in which to show off their jewels during the time of the British Raj.

29/03/2017 - 5/06/2017

Grand Palais, Salon d’Honneur, 3, avenue du Général Eisenhower, 75008 Paris, France

Bejewelled Treasures: the Al Thani Collection

Spectacular objects, drawn from a single private collection, will explore the broad themes of tradition and modernity in Indian jewellery. Highlights will include Mughal jades, a rare jewelled gold finial from the throne of Tipu Sultan, and pieces that reveal the dramatic changes that took place in Indian jewellery design during the early 20th century. The exhibition will examine the influence that India had on avant-garde European jewellery made by Cartier and other leading houses and will conclude with contemporary pieces made by JAR and Bhagat, which are inspired by a creative fusion of Mughal motifs and Art Deco ‘Indian’ designs.

21/11/2015 – 28/03/2016

Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL, UK

Treasures from India: Jewels from the Al-Thani Collection

India has been a vibrant centre for the jewelled arts for many centuries, with its own mines yielding gold, diamonds, and many other precious and semiprecious stones. India’s Mughal rulers and their successors appreciated ceremonial and functional objects made of luxury materials. This exhibition will include historical works from the Mughal period in the 17th century and from various courts and centres of the 18th and 19th centuries, including Hyderabad; a group of late 19th- and 20th-century jewels made for India’s Maharajas by Cartier and other Western firms; and contemporary commissions inspired by traditional Indian forms. On view will be several antique gems that were incorporated into modern settings by Maison Cartier, jewelry designer Paul Iribe, and others. Contextual information will be provided through historical photographs and portraits of Indian royalty wearing works similar to those on view. The exhibition will be accompanied by a catalogue published by the Metropolitan Museum and distributed by Yale University Press. Written by Navina Haidar, with a foreword by Sheila Canby, the Patti Cadby Birch Curator in Charge of the Department of Islamic Art, and contributions from Courtney Stewart, Senior Research Assistant, it draws on a study of the collection called Beyond Extravagance, edited by Amin Jaffer, that was printed by Assouline Publishing in 2013.

28/10/2014 - 25/01/2015

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue (at 82nd Street), New York, NY 10028, USA

Esplendores do Oriente - Jóias de Ouro da Antiga Goa
Splendours of the East – Ancient Golden Jewellery from Goa

This exhibition consists of 392 pieces of jewellery from the 18th and 19th century, that have been locked in a safe for the last 50 years. This collection is seen as a reflection of the Portuguese colonisation of Goa, as it portrays the encounter between the Hindu and Christian worlds.

16/04/2014 – 7/09/2014

Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, Rua das Janelas Verdes, 1249 (Palácio Alvor), Lisbon, Portugal

India: Jewels that Enchanted the World

This exhibition, the most comprehensive exhibition of Indian jewellery ever staged, examines the legacy of five hundred years of Indian jewellery, from the 17th century to the present day. More than 300 pieces of jewellery and jewelled objects generously loaned from over 30 museums, institutions and private collections from around the world are brought together for the first time to showcase the beauty of Indian craftsmanship, the magnificence of gemstone setting and the aesthetic refinement of Indian taste. Many of the items have never been exhibited before. The exhibition is accompanied by an illustrated catalogue published by the Indo-Russian Jewellery Foundation.

12/04/2014 – 27/07/2014

The State Museums of Moscow Kremlin, Moscow Kremlin, Moscow, Russia

Indien und sein Volksschmuck aus den Sammlungen Ganguly und Bir.

India and its Folk Jewellery from the Ganguly and Bir Collections.

In India, jewellery belongs in the everyday sphere and is a unifying bond that overcomes all ethnic and religious differences. It is worn not only by people but also decorates idols and animals. The exhibition in the Goldsmiths’ House defines folk jewellery as a contrast to bejeweled urban or court jewellery. Dominant in the towns and villages are finely detailed forms in endless variety that are symbolic and important to the individual person. Jewellery is acquired by men and women for the marriage ceremony, as a protection from illness, or to ward off evil spirits. After the death of the owner it is generally melted down to make new pieces. This exhibition presents gold and silver jewellery from 15 Indian states, demonstrating the rich spectrum of differing techniques, design impulses, mythological symbols, and motifs. Around 300 pieces are on display, including elegant bridal jewellery, necklaces, jewellery for the head, hair, forehead and temple, ears, nose, arms, and feet, as well as jewellery for men, and amulets.

18/08/2013 - 18/01/2014

Deutsches Goldschmiedehaus Hanau, Altstädter Markt 6 D- 63450 Hanau, Germany

The Hidden Garden, Jewellery from India

Stunning jewellery, enchanting miniatures and fascinating weaponry from the Rajput and Moghul cultures take the visitor on a journey from past North Indian court cultures to the dynamic India of today. Photos and video projections reveal kaleidoscopic glimpses of current Indian life in gem trade hub Jaipur and desert town Bikaner. The exhibition - set in a small, but captivating dreamlike royal atmosphere - is the result of a contemporary research project in North-India. In 2007 and 2011 curator Saskia Konniger went to North India to collect gold jewellery related to the traditions of Rajasthan Rajput royal houses and the Islamic Mughal Empire (1526-1857) and explore current day gemstone and goldsmiths sectors in Rajasthan. In Jaipur she visited jewelhouses and was a guest at colourful weddings, where young Rajputs tried to balance tradition and innovation. The age-old kundan technique, which earned fame during the Mughal period, turned out to be still in vogue in the desert city of Bikaner. She collected stories and commissioned a variety of jewellery: from one euro lac earrings to luxurious kundan top pieces.

10/09/2011 – 6/01/2013

Museum Volkenkunde, Steenstraat 1, Postbus 212, 2300 AE Leiden, Netherlands

Indian Jewellery

A beautiful display of traditional Indian jewellery, focusing on the unique ornaments worn by Indian brides. This small display features examples of the haar (necklace), churiya (bangles), and payal or pajeb (anklets) as well as items worn only by the bride and information on the history of jewellery in India.

16/10/2012 – 24/11/2012

Central Library and Museum (1st floor), Lichfield Street, Walsall, WS1 1TR, UK

Maharaja: The Splendour of India's Royal Courts

Spanning the last 300 years of India's culture - from the beginning of the 18th century, to the end of British rule in 1947, and concluding with a look at the legacy of the Maharajas today - the exhibition examines the social and historical role of these kings and their courts, bringing to light the ancient royal traditions that have permeated the lives of descendants worldwide. Among the 200 objects on view are some of India's greatest treasures, including the magnificent Patiala Necklace, part of the largest single commission that the French house of Cartier has ever executed. Completed in 1928 and restored in 2002, this piece of ceremonial jewellery contains 2,930 diamonds and weighs almost one thousand carats.

10/9/2009 – 17/1/2010

V&A, London, UK

6/03/2010 - 30/05/2010

Kunsthalle der Hypo-Kulturstiftung, Munich, Germany

20/10/2010 – 3/04/2011

Art Gallery of Ontario/Musée des beaux-arts de l’Ontario, Toronto, Canada

21/10/2011 - 8/04/2012

Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA

17/10/2012 – 3/02/2013

The Field Museum, 1400 S Lake Shore Drive Chicago, IL 60605, USA

Treasury of the World: Jewelled Arts of India in the Age of the Mughals

This is the most lavish display of historic jewellery ever seen in Malaysia. The pieces in this exhibition exemplify the artistic sophistication and technical finesse of Indian craftsmen in the age of the Mughals, especially during the 16th to the 18th century. The Indian Subcontinent is a land naturally rich in gems and is home to the most highly developed range of the jewelled arts of any nation on earth. Some of the most remarkable pieces on view here belonged to a succession of Mughal emperors, while many other objects were the proud possessions of a variety of princely patrons. All demonstrate the dazzling mastery of the Indian jewellery artists, whose materials typically were gold, rubies, emeralds, diamonds and pearls. The objects on display are from the personal collection of Sheikh Nasser and Sheikha Hussah al-Sabah of Kuwait, the most significant collectors of Indian jewelled arts in the world. Over the past ten years the exhibition has travelled to a number of leading cultural institutions, including the Louvre and the British Museum.

7/08/2009 – 8/11/2009

The Hermitage, St Petersburg, Russia

12/02/2010 - 27/06/2010

Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore

31/07/2010 - 30/12/2010

Islamic Arts Museum, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

When Gold Blossoms: Indian Jewelry from the Susan L. Beningson Collection

This exhibition celebrates the awe-inspiring technical craftsmanship of Indian jewelry with more than 150 pieces spanning 2,000 years. It includes spectacular rings, anklets, earrings, hair pendants, jeweled crowns, ivory combs, and an elaborate swing and a gold throne for a deity. Some of the pieces are worn in daily life, others dedicated to deities in Hindu temples. Photographs from the 19th and 20th centuries will be displayed alongside the jewelry to provide a fuller understanding of the ways in which jewelry is worn and used.

18/03/2010 – 12/07/2010

Michael C. Carlos Museum of Emory University, Atlanta GE, USA

Gandhara – The Buddhist Heritage of Pakistan: Legends, Monasteries and Paradise

Between the first and fifth centuries CE, an art form flourished in Gandhara, on what is today the Pakistani-Afghan border, that seems strangely familiar to western eyes: influenced by the culture of Mediterranean antiquity, artists in Gandhara created the earliest figurative representations of Buddha. The best-known legacy of the Gandhara civilization were the monumental Buddha statues of Bamiyan, destroyed by the Taliban in 2001. Some 300 objects, including masterpieces of stone sculpture, delicately wrought reliefs, precious coins and magnificent gold jewellery lure visitors into the world of early Buddhism. With the support of Novartis and the Parrotia Foundation. An exhibition of the Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany, Bonn

6/09/2008 – 3/01/2010

Museum Rietberg, Werner Abegg Gallery, Zurich, Switzerland

Naga · Jewellery and ashes

This exhibition from the extensive collections of the material culture of the Naga from museums in Switzerland, Germany and Austria presents a comprehensive insight into the cultural heritage of a region, the long time out of sight of the West. During the exhibition at the Museum of Ethnology, Zurich, the breaks between the past and the present topic, the collections in the Museum der Kulturen Basel as witnesses of a bygone time in the spotlight.

7/06/2008 – 6/09/2009

Volkerkundemuseum der Universitat Zurich, Switzerland

1/02/2012 – 11/06/2012

Museum für Völkerkunde, Vienna, Austria

West Asian

Court and Craft. A Masterpiece from Northern Iraq

Discover the story behind one of the most extraordinary objects in The Courtauld's collection: a bag made in Northern Iraq around 1300. No other object of this kind is known. Inlaid with gold and silver and decorated with a courtly scene showing an enthroned couple as well as musicians, hunters and revellers, it ranks as one of the finest pieces of Islamic metalwork in existence. The bag was made for a lady in the courtly circles of the Mongol Ilkhanid dynasty, established in west Asia by Genghis Khan’s grandson, Hulagu. This exhibition considers this luxury craft tradition before and after the Mongol invasion. This exhibition explores the origin and cultural context of this extraordinary object, alongside displays of illustrated manuscripts, ceramics and other luxury crafts.

20/02/2014 – 18/05/2014

The Courtauld Gallery, The Courtauld Institute of Art, Somerset House, Strand, London, WC2R 0RN, UK

Scheich Ibrahims Traum - Schätze aus der Textil-und Schmucksammlung von Widad Kamel Kawar
The Dream of Sheikh Ibrahim: Treasures from the textile and jewellery collection of Widad Kamel Kawar

The Orient comes to the Haus zum Kirschgarten. In the childhood home of the explorer, about 100 Arab costumes and jewellery from an important Jordanian private collection are on display. Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, alias Sheikh Ibrahim, one of the most famous Basel adventurers and explorers, invites visitors into his home and into his dream world: Sumptuous textiles, precious jewellery and other accessories from the areas which "Sheikh Ibrahim» visited bring an oriental atmosphere to the textile manufacturing centre. In addition, music recordings and installations bring the exhibition to life.

27/049/2012 – 7/04/2013

Historisches Museum Basel, Haus zum Kirschgarten, Elisabethenstrasse 27/29, 4051 Basel, Switzerland

The Treasures of ancient Syria - Discovery of the kingdom of Qatna

More than 3500 years ago, the Syrian Kingdom of Qatna, which had grown rich through trade, was one of the most prosperous metropoles of the ancient Orient. Around 1340 BC, a withering attack by the Hittites led to the destruction of Qatna. This exhibition shows about 400 exhibits of art and daily life that span the entire history of the site of Qatna, from its founding around 2600 BC, to its abandonment, in 600 BC, including, in particular, jewellery, works of art and crafts, collections of cuneiform tablets, seals and arms.

17/10/09 – 14/03/10

Württemberg State Museum, Stuttgart, Germany

The Gold of Troy: Ancient Jewelry from the University of Pennsylvania Museum

Regarded as one of the world's most spectacular archaeological finds, the discovery of the Gold of Troy confirmed the existence of the flourishing pre-classical civilization and its legendary treasure. Excavated between 1870-1873 by German businessman-turned-archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, the hoards of treasure included thousands of gold and semi-precious stone objects dating to 2500 BC, pre-dating the famous Trojan and Greek war described by Homer in his epic The Iliad by over one thousand years. This exhibition features 20 pieces of fine ancient women's jewelry exemplary of Trojan craftsmanship. Their age and style indicate they were likely discovered at Troy, home of the most famous treasure ever to be unearthed.

13/12/2009 - 14/02/2010

Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, Santa Ana, CA, USA

Mystery of The Urartian Jewellery

Among the most important factors in the development of the Urartian art of jewellery is the presence of rich mineral deposits of Eastern Anatolia and the profitable use of these deposits by the Urartian jewellery masters. Gold, silver, lead, iron and particularly copper deposits in the region were effectively mined for the first time by the Urartians. Jewellery such as pectorals (breastplate), medallions, beads, amulets, neck rings, ornamental pins, fibulae, armlets, bracelets, rings and furthermore, the most comprehensive Urartian belt collection of Turkey with approximately 70 belts will reveal the mysterious thoughts, religious beliefs and traditions of the Urartian civilization which reigned over Anatolia for 250 years.

16/04/2014 – 1/01/2016

Rezan Has Museum, Kadir Has Universitesi, Cibali - Istanbul, 34083, Turkey

The Tsars and the East: Gifts From Turkey and Iran in the Moscow Kremlin

Rarely seen arms and armor, bejeweled vessels and regalia offered as lavish gifts and tributes by the Ottomans and Safavids to the Russian tsars.

until 13/09/2009

Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA

Wine, Worship, and Sacrifice: The Golden Graves of Ancient Vani

The Georgian site of Vani lies in what was the ancient kingdom of Colchis, known in Greek myth as the destination of Jason and the Argonauts in their quest for the Golden Fleece. Colchis was renowned as a region rich in gold, and excavations at Vani have confirmed this reputation. The archaeological finds not only demonstrate the highly refined craftsmanship of local goldworkers but also testify to contacts with both the Greek world and the Persian Empire. This exhibition presents an array of precious objects from Vani, including jewelry from five of the elite burials, bronzes from a sanctuary devoted to wine production, and an enigmatic group of ritual figurines.

16/07/2009 - 5/10/2009

The Getty Villa, Malibu, Los Angeles CA, USA

From the Land of the Golden Fleece: Tomb Treasures of Ancient Georgia

This travelling exhibition is being presented to the Greek public for the first time, and introduces, in an impressive manner, the civilisation that developed on the Eastern shores of the Black Sea from the 5th to the 2nd century B.C. The 140 works in the exhibition - which include 100 pieces of jewellery - were found in excavations that took place at Vani, the religious centre of Ancient Colchis (in the west of present day Republic of Georgia).

2/10/2008 – 14/1/2009

The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, UK

20/01/09 - 6/04/09

The Benaki Museum, Athens, Greece

Israeli

Jewelry Making: Past & Present

Jewellery making is a language. It is a language whose vocabulary comprises different metals, precious stones and new and contemporary materials. They all combine in an infinite number of ways, like words that join together to form sentences. The Jewelry Making exhibition presents a dialogue between culture, religion, past and present, across a timeline of around a millennium. Then first section features jewellery making works associated with the world’s three main monotheistic religions, which were designed to be used for cult or ritual purposes. The second section of the exhibition engages in contemporary jewellery making. 45 Israeli jewelry makers were asked by the museum to create jewelry works inspired by the museum’s Islamic jewelry collection. The third part of the exhibition will present jewellery that belonged to the late singer Ofra Hazza. These are traditional jewellery items from Yemenite Jewry made especially for her by Benzion David, an 8th-generation descendant of jewellery makers from Najran in north Yemen. The exhibition will also include jewellery made by Bedouin jewellery makers Hussein Awad and his son Mansour, from the Jabalia tribe.

30/05/2019 - 16/11/2019

The Museum for Islamic Art, 2 Hapalmach St. Jerusalem, Israel

Contemporary Jewellery from Israel

This exhibition will provide insight into contemporary jewellery from Israel, into the specific characteristics of Israel’s jewellery scene and the differences when compared to its Middle European counterpart. Thus, it will also show that the country’s political situation is an important theme for many jewellery artists. The long tradition of contemporary Israeli jewellery will be documented by the works of three artists from the teacher generation. The creations of ten artists from the young generation will exemplify the wide variety of notions of jewellery and the corresponding different positions. The is overseen by curator Jürgen Eickhoff.

16/03/2012 – 3/06/2012

Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim, Pforzheim, Germany

Women's Tales: Four Leading Israeli Jewelers

International art jewelry designer and sculptor Wallace Chan continues his world tour showcasing his creations. The jewelry artists featured in this exhibition - Bianca Eshel-Gershuni, Vered Kaminski, Esther Knobel, and Deganit Stern Schocken - have chosen jewelry as an appropriate medium for personal comment. Although all sought inspiration in their local surroundings as well as in their personal life, these four artists have developed very distinctive styles. While Eshel-Gershuni and Knobel use figurative imagery to relay their personal experiences and memories, the works of Kaminski and Stern Schocken are more abstract in form and focus on the process. Following singular journeys of self-discovery, these four women artists have made major contributions to the field of avant-garde jewelry making in Israel.

23/04/2010 - 12/11/2010

The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel

Sequences, Identities: Israeli Jewellery 5

Jewellery traditionally represented social status and identity. Through their work, jewellery designers show how sequences of possibilities are created in Israel by the fusing of different ethnic origins.

13/05/2010 - 16/10/2010

Eretz Israel Museum, Tel Aviv, Israel

Sagsoget. Alloy. Legierung

This exhibition seeks to reflect the spirit ‒ the specific “Sagsoget” (engl. alloy) ‒ of the Bezalel jewellery from recent years, made by students and graduates of the jewellery and fashion department of Bezalel, who came from all over Israel – from different sectors, ethnicities, and religions.
‏The combination of the department’s European roots, mainly German, and its geographical and cultural location in the Middle East, has given rise to a conceptual and creative dialectic, oscillating between opposite yet complementary poles. The featured works surrender a tension between the local and the universal – between function and pure idea – between a one-off handiwork and serial production – between tributes to the past and insistence on the present and the contemporary – between west and east – between work in a bubble and exposure to outside influences. In fact, this dialectic is the essence and core of the Department of Jewellery and Fashion at Bezalel.

10/12/2022 - 16/04/2023

Die Neue Sammlung – The Design Museum, Türkenstraße 15, 80333 Munich, Germany

Bijoux d’Israël

This exhibition is the first time that modern Israeli jewellers have been presented at the Espace Solidor. Among others, they include Vered Kaminski and Degani Stern Schocken, jewellery teachers for over 20 years (respectively at the Fine Arts schools in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv) and heads of the departments of jewellery design. All the most promising young artists from Israel have studied under these two great artists. These creative artists, renowned for jewellery in their own country, reflect their experiences through beautiful and powerful work. Thanks to them, Israel has forged a distinct identity in the contemporary jewellery movement, quite different from that of Europe or America. Although they have participated in artistic activities in Europe, their work is autobiographical and shows that they are above all women living in Israel, and that their culture has greatly influenced them.

5/06/2010 – 10/10/2010

Espace Solidor, Haut-de-Cagnes, France

Apples of Gold in Pictures of Silver

New exhibition of rare and ancient jewelry excavated in archeological sites throughout Israel. The exhibition reveals gold jewelry that has never before been seen, much of which dates from Biblical times and even earlier.

11/09/08 -

Harry Oppenheimer Diamond Museum, Tel Aviv, Israel

Turkish

Treasures of the Ottoman sultans

The exposition comprises outstanding Turkish artworks from the funds of the famous Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, the city called "a cultural capital of Europe of 2010". It explores a variety of techniques and forms of the Turkish decorative and applied arts as well as delicacy of craftsmanship of the makers at the Sultans’ court. The display includes remarkable pieces of weaponry, jewellery, interior utensils, executed on the order of the Turkish Sultans or granted to them as precious gifts.

25/05/2010 – 15/08/2010

Assumption Belfry of the Kremlin, Moscow, Russia

Yemeni

Treasures of Yemenite Silverwork

Twenty-six rare silver items, dated to the 18th and 19th centuries according to the hallmarks of the Imams (local Muslim rulers) struck into their metal, are among the oldest items in the Museum's Yemenite jewelry collection. Almost all bear the names of the craftsmen who made them, including some renowned Jewish families of silversmiths. This is not surprising since in Yemen silversmithing was mainly practiced by Jews, who passed their skill down from generation to generation. The objects are a joint gift to The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, and The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, by Derek J. Content, London, in honor of Mrs. Amanda Content; and Benjamin Zucker, New York, in honor of Barbara Zucker, 2010

17/07/2016 - 30/06/2017

The Israel Museum, Derech Ruppin 11, Jerusalem, Israel

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