Exhibitions Archive - Medieval and Renaissance
Vikings
Strength and gold - Vikings in the east
The enormous gold treasure hoard from Vindelev, consisting of almost 1 kg of gold, including some huge medallions the size of saucers, which was excavated in September 2021, plays the main role in this exhibition. It displays the magnificent find for the first time and tells the story of the prelude to the Viking Age and Harald Bluetooth's alliances in present-day Poland. "The stories of the Vikings' pillaging raids in England have been told countless times. We want to tell the story in depth and explore the fascinating cultural encounters and alliances that created the Danish Viking kings' power base" says Charlotta Lindblom, Archaeologist and Curator at the Vejle Museums, and continues: "This exhibition shows the very latest knowledge about the run-up to the Viking Age as well as Harald Bluetooth's eastern connections. These connections are shown in the exhibition's many fantastic finds from Denmark and Poland."
The exhibition is a collaboration with Moesgaard Museum, which will have an exhibition about other aspects of the Vikings' travels to the east.
17/02/2022 - 18/12/2022
Vejle Art Museum, Flegborg 16-18, Vejle, Denmark
The Galloway Hoard: Viking-age Treasure
The Galloway Hoard brings together the richest collection of rare and unique Viking-age objects ever found in Britain or Ireland. It is of international significance and will transform our understanding of this period of Scottish history. Buried at the beginning of the tenth century, the Hoard comprises in excess of 100 gold, silver and other items, some of which are unique. This exhibition will display the key elements of the hoard, place it in a wider historical context and showcase the conservation and research work which is being undertaken to understand the hoard and its secrets.
29/05/2021 - 12/09/2021
National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1JF, UK
9/10/2021 - 10/07/2022
Kirkcudbright Galleries, St. Mary Street, Kirkcudbright, DG6 4AA, UK
30/07/2022 - 23/10/2022
Aberdeen Art Gallery, Schoolhill, Aberdeen AB11 5BY, UK
Vikings: Beyond the Legend
'Vikings: Beyond the Legend' is the largest touring exhibition of Viking artifacts in the world. It's an immersive experience surrounding 650 artefacts ranging from exotic jewels to three Viking warships, including the 37-metre Roskilde 6, the longest Viking warship ever found, featuring approximately 1,000 year-old wooden planks and metal supports showing the ship's original lines. Striking multimedia and 11 interactive stations bring this historic exhibition to life.
18/04/2019 – 20/10/2019
Royal Alberta Museum, 9810 103a Ave NW, Edmonton, Alberta T5J 0G2, Canada
Vikings: The Exhibition
Offering a fresh and contemporary look into the Viking Age, this exhibition is an extraordinary window into the lifestyle, religion, and daily lives of these legendary explorers, artisans, and craftspeople. Encounter objects rarely displayed outside Scandinavia in this compelling exhibition that challenges the perceptions of the Viking Age through hundreds of objects, as well as interactives, and immersive experiences. Exclusive to the ROM, one section of the exhibition dives into the archaeology and history of the Norse on the East Coast of North America. Follow their journey across the Atlantic and discover some of the myths and mysteries of these ancient peoples.
4/11/2017 – 2/04/2018
ROM Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen’s Park, Toronto, Ontario 416.586.8000, Canada
Viking: Rediscover the Legend
Two of the most significant and internationally recognised collections of Viking Age treasure in Britain have been brought together for the first time in this major new exhibition. Star objects from the British Museum feature alongside the Yorkshire Museum’s world class collections and are interpreted in new ways to give a fresh perspective on how the Vikings shaped every aspect of life in Britain. It also features ground-breaking research by archaeologists and new discoveries by metal-detectorists which challenge our perceptions of what it means to be Viking. The exhibition will be open at the Yorkshire Museum 19 May to 5 November 2017, and then tour to the University of Nottingham Museum, The Atkinson, Southport, Aberdeen Art Gallery and Norwich Castle Museum (dates to be confirmed).
19/05/2017 – 5/11/2017
The Yorkshire Museum, Museum Gardens, Museum Street, York, YO1 7FR, UK
24/11/2017 – 4/03/2018
Centre for the Study of the Viking Age, Djanogly Art Gallery, University Park Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
31/03/2018 – 3/06/2018
The Atkinson, Lord Street, Southport, Merseyside, PR8 1DB, UK
Vikings!
Bloodthirsty, destructive raiders scouring the seas hungry for treasure. That’s how the Vikings are commonly portrayed. But were they really such murderous plunderers? Or were they also artists, traders and explorers? And what role did women play in the fascinating Viking society? The Gallo-Roman Museum in Tongeren is preparing to shatter the stereotype image of the Norsemen. From jewellery, textiles and weapons to an authentic Viking ship, the 500 objects featured in the exhibition will illustrate the extraordinary skill of their craftsmen, while interactive displays and multimedia will take visitors to the very heart of the rich and complex Viking culture.
18/10/2014 - 15/03/2015
Gallo-Romeins Museum
Kielenstraat 15 3700 Tongeren, Belgium
Vikings. Life and legend
The Viking Age (800–1050) was a period of major change across Europe. The Vikings expanded from their Scandinavian homelands to create an international network connecting cultures over four continents, where artistic, religious and political ideas met. The Vikings’ skill in shipbuilding and seafaring was central to their culture and achievements, and at the heart of the exhibition will be a 37-metre-long warship. Found in 1997, and dating to around 1025, it is the longest Viking ship ever discovered. Many other new discoveries, including part of a mass grave of Viking warriors, will be on display for the first time showing how our understanding of the Vikings is still being changed by new excavations and recent research. The exhibition will also present personal objects, including jewellery, amulets and idols, which help to reveal more about how the Vikings saw themselves and their world. Exquisite objects, including the magnificent Vale of York Hoard, demonstrate the global reach of the Viking network of trade, plunder and power – a network that left a lasting legacy in countries from Ireland and the UK to Russia and Ukraine.
6/03/2014 – 22/06/2014
British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG, UK
Viking
This spectacular Viking exhibition centres around the 37 m long Viking ship Ægir (also known as Roskilde 6). The ship is the world’s longest Viking ship and will be exhibited for the first time since it was found at Roskilde in 1997. As well as the Viking ship, the exhibition also features other fantastic Viking finds and rich jewellery.
22/06/2013 - 17/11/2013
The National Museum, Ny Vestergade 10, Copenhagen, Denmark
Vikings
This exhibition explores the perceptions of the Vikings as warriors, explorers, pirates and merchants. The exhibition gives fascinating insights into death rituals, the power of mythology and the symbolism of the Viking ships, their crafts and workmanship and also their domestic lives. Among the objects on display will be spectacular jewellery and metalwork, textiles, glass, bone, amber and religious artefacts. Craft, especially metal craft had metaphysical and mythological significance in the Viking Age and the treasures in the exhibition will showcase their astonishing workmanship. The displays will include a silver pendant crucifix, a stunning silver necklace in the form of the fertility goddess, Freyja and a brooch of gold, bronze and garnet. Over 500 objects from the world-renowned collections of the Historiska Museet in Stockholm will form the basis of the exhibition.
1/02/2013 – 26/05/2013
The National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1JF, UK
Skaill Hoard Loan
In March 1858 an Orcadian boy was out catching rabbits at Skaill, Sandwick, when he uncovered something down a rabbit hole. The metal rings and other items were reported to the authorities, and it was claimed by the Crown as an antiquity of national importance. David Linklater had discovered one of the finest hoards of Viking silver ever found in Britain. Shetland Museum and Archives are hosting this exhibition of part of the Skaill Hoard Treasure, courtesy of their partnership working with National Museums Scotland, and with sponsorship from Shetland Jewellery.
26/07/2013 – 31/01/2014
Shetland Museum and Archives, Hay's Dock, Lerwick, Shetland, ZE1 0WP, UK
Other
Freedom, Feuds & Purgatory: The Middle Ages in the North
Women adorned with glittering jewels, warriors with ‘kletsies’, a type of spear that could be used as a vaulting pole, and shorn hair. Violent feuds between clans. A landscape where an extraordinary number of castles, churches and monasteries dominated the horizon. This is not the fantasy world of a newly launched computer game, but a description of Friesland during the full and late Middle Ages, based on new research.
This new exhibition shares new scientific insights about life in the North during the full and late Middle Ages. At that time, Friesland (Tota Frisia) extended from the present province of Friesland to the Weser River in Ostfriesland, Germany. Unlike elsewhere in Europe, the Frisians governed themselves, elected their own judges, spoke their own language and had their own distinctive clothing style. The idiosyncratic, lost world of Friesland between 1067-1567 is brought to life using the Fries Museum’s wide-ranging archaeological collection of medieval objects, supplemented with (inter)national loans.
10/09/2022 – 7/05/2023
Fries Museum, Wilhelminaplein 92, 8911 BS Leeuwarden, Netherlands
Die Normannen
The Normans
The history of the Normans continues to astonish and surprise to the present day: starting out as highly mobile warriors, mercenaries or minor aristocracy, Normans became powerful princes and rulers who left their traces all over Europe and beyond. Their history is a story of interconnectedness, which influenced in a long-lasting way the cultural and political development of Europe and the Mediterranean.
For the first time in such a comprehensive fashion, the Reiss-Engelhorn-Museen and their partners will dedicate an exciting exhibition project under German-French aegis to the “men from the North”. In a presentation with around 300 outstanding exhibition-pieces from more than 10 countries, the exhibition tells a multifaceted story and ties together different and highly fascinating threads of a history spanning the 8th - 13th centuries. Precious works of art, including handicrafts made of gold and ivory, jewellery and valuables such as the crown of Roger II, encounter other treasures, weapons and manuscripts coming from North-, East- and West-Europe as well as the Mediterranean. These exhibits are complemented by the latest digital reconstructions which provide innovative ways of displaying and transferring knowledge.
18/9/2022 - 26/02/2023
Museum Zeughaus, 8159 Mannheim, Germany
Sieraden uit de bodem
Jewellery from the soil
Jewellery is probably as old as humanity itself. It is a way to distinguish yourself or to radiate power. Gold jewellery has existed in Gelderland since 2300 BC, but remains very rare until Roman times. It often indicates contacts with other peoples, for example within the Celtic area, where networks were created through the exchange of valuable gifts. Bronze jewellery comes from around 1800 BC. for neck rings, bracelets and decorative pins, used to fasten clothing. The Romans bring their own style of body decoration to our country. Rings of precious and base metals, but also of precious stones are very popular. In the early Middle Ages, a new fashion emerged that is strikingly similar in Northwest Europe. Typically, jewellery is inlaid with pieces of garnet, a bright red gem originating from India. Beautifully decorated belts for men can certainly also be counted among the jewellery. Many of these age-old jewels were deposited in tombs, or had been abandoned or lost for various reasons. Often, after having been in the soil for centuries, they are found in archaeological excavations. By comparing these jewels with preserved paintings and sculptures, we can form a picture of thelr use.
Ending 31 December 2019
Museum Het Valkhof, Kelfkensbos 59, 6511 TB Nijmegen, Netherlands
Caravans of Gold, Fragments in Time: Art, Culture, and Exchange across Medieval Saharan Africa
Caravans of Gold is the first major exhibition addressing the scope of Saharan trade and the shared history of West Africa, the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe from the 8th to 16th centuries. Weaving stories about interconnected histories, the exhibition showcases the objects and ideas that connected at the crossroads of the medieval Sahara and celebrates West Africa’s historic and underrecognized global significance. It draws on recent archaeological discoveries, including rare fragments from major medieval African trading centers like Sijilmasa, Gao, and Tadmekka. These “fragments in time” are seen alongside works of art that invite us to imagine them as they once were. They are the starting point for a new understanding of the medieval past and for seeing the present in a new light. Presenting more than 250 artworks spanning five centuries and a vast geographic expanse, the exhibition features unprecedented loans from partner institutions in Mali, Morocco, and Nigeria, many of which will be seen in North America for the first time.
26/01/2019 - 21/07/2019
The Block Museum, Northwestern University, 40 Arts Circle Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
Le Trésor de Preslav
As part of the Bulgarian presidency of the European Union, the Louvre Museum is hosting an exhibition dedicated to the "Trésor de Preslav". The treasure was unearthed in 1978 near Preslav, capital of the first Bulgarian kingdom which converted to Christianity in 864 and was overthrown by the Byzantines in 1018. It is the largest discovery ever made of Byzantine princely medieval jewellery.
27/06/2018 - 5/11/2018
Musée du Louvre, 99 rue de Rivoli - Entrée par la Pyramide, 75001 Paris, France
The thing of mine I have loved the best - Meaningful Jewels
The engaging title “The thing of mine I have loved the best” comes from the medieval will of a English duchess who bequeaths a reliquary jewel to her son. It expresses the sentiment that jewels appealed (then, as well as now) to the truest and strongest emotions. “I have bought these pieces one by one over a period of fifteen years (and put them aside with this project in mind), and to my knowledge no such collection has been assembled, studied, and exhibited in modern times,” states Founder and President of Les Enluminures Sandra Hindman. She goes on to say “Not at all unlike the medieval manuscripts I also present, they are some of the most intimate of art objects from the Middle Ages.”
5/04/2018 - 20/04/2018
Les Enluminures, 23 East 73rd Street • 7th Floor, Penthouse, New York, NY 10021, USA
Scotland's Early Silver
Today gold is more valuable than silver, but in the first millennium AD silver was the most powerful material in Scotland. Scotland’s earliest silver arrived with the Roman army and had a lasting impact on local society, quickly becoming associated with prestige and power. In the centuries that followed, Roman silver objects were hacked and melted down to make iconic early medieval treasures like the massive silver chains. By AD700 the silver had been recycled many times and was used to make powerful objects such as the famous Hunterston Brooch. Featuring spectacular objects dating from AD75 to AD1000, and supported by The Glenmorangie Research Project on Early Medieval Scotland, Scotland’s Early Silver explores the part that silver played in the transformation of society in Scotland throughout the first millennium AD.
13/10/2017 – 25/02/2018
National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1JF, UK
Kloster Einsiedeln. Pilgern seit 1000 Jahren
Einsiedeln Abbey is one of the most important places of pilgrimage and an international pilgrimage destination. Over the course of more than 1,000 years of history, millions of believers visited the pilgrimage site. Popes, emperors, kings, citizens conferred privileges, gifts and donations on the monastery. Thanks to the charisma of the place, the abbey survived the Reformation and the consequences of the French Revolution. This exhibition sheds light on the eventful history of the monastery and its pilgrimage. Many of the most important objects are being shown outside the monastery walls for the first time. For example, a manuscript that is said to have belonged to St. Meinrad, a chalice of King Charles of Romania, and the sumptuous garments and jewels of the Black Madonna.
16/09/2017 – 21/01/2018
Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum Landesmuseum Zürich, Museumstrasse 2, CH-8001 Zürich, Switzerland
Die Krone von Kertsch. Schätze aus Europas Frühzeit
The Crown of Kerch. Treasures from the Dawn of European History
Gold jewellery from the migration period found near the Black Sea, silver brooches and magnificent belts from early medieval graves in France, Italy, Spain, and Germany: selections from the collection of Johannes von Diergardt will be on view again in Berlin for the first time in 80 years, re-turning to the city where they were displayed until 1934. Following the death of the collector and art lover, these works moved to the Römisch-Germanisches Museum in Cologne. Construction work in the Cologne museum now offers a prime opportunity to present the treasures to the Berlin public again for the first time in many years. An exhibition by the Museum für Vor- und Frühgeschichte – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, in collaboration with the Römisch-Germanisches Museum der Stadt Köln.
19/06/2020 - 25/09/2022
Neues Museum, James-Simon-Galerie, Bodestraße, 10178 Berlin, Germany
The world of Clovis. Merovingian Itineraries
This exhibition offers a new summation of the High Middle Ages and makes us rediscover the world of the Merovingians, a period in history, rich in trade and commerce, cultural influences and religious practises, new territories and populations in motion. Garnets from Sri Lanka, amber from the Baltics, broad ranges of weapons, ornaments and jewels of precious alloy… What if these testaments of far off lands were here, just underneath our feet?
26/03/2021 - 4/07/2021
Royal Museum of Mariemont, Chaussée de Mariemont, 100, 7140 Morlanwelz, Belgium
Longobardi. Un popolo che cambia la storia
The Longobards. A people who changed history
The arrival of the Longobards in Italy in 638 changed the country, and Western Europe, for ever. This major exhibition will link the parabola of the Lombard presence in Italy with its antecedents and contemporary events elsewhere, linking the local scenario to the global one of Europe and the Mediterranean. It will highlight how the presence of the Longobards played a "leading" role in cultural transmissions and knowledge in the transalpine area, the Mediterranean and the Byzantine world, addressing diverse aspects and themes. The exhibition will subsequently be shown in Naples, from 15 December, and St Petersburg, from April 2018.
1/09/2017 – 3/12/2017
Musei Civici di Pavia, Castello Visconteo, Viale XI Febbraio 35, 27100 - Pavia, Italy
To Rule and to Dazzle. Jewels and Jewellery in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 16th and 17th centuries
’Jewels’ is a word which defines extremely valuable and unique items. Both categories may refer to insignia of power, signs of office, valuables of sentimental importance and ceremonial costume decorations. The exhibition at the Royal Castle represents a unique opportunity to see miniatures of the masterpieces from the private treasuries of Bona Sforza and Zygmunt August which have been brought in from Munich, Bern, Milan and New York. The idea behind the exhibition is to show the art of jewellery from the Vasa dynasty when the local craftsmen achieved true mastery. Some of these old Polish valuables, primarily regalia from the Crown Treasury, suffered damage. The secular jewels survived, since they had been hidden in the ground or donated as votive offerings to Marian sanctuaries. The phenomenon of Sarmatian piety is best illustrated by a priceless set of jewels on loan for the first time from the Jasna Góra Monastery of the Pauline Order. These artefacts tell more about the power of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the exceptional artistic taste of their elites than documents preserved in archives do.
30/05/2019 - 4/08/2019
The Royal Castle in Warsaw, plac Zamkowy 4, 00-277 Warsaw, Poland
Renaissance Children
For the Burgundian and the early Habsburg princes, Mechelen was not only an important political and cultural hub but also an educational centre. Three consecutive generations of Habsburg princes and princesses, including Philip the Fair, Margaret of Austria and Charles V, spent part of their childhood here. This exhibition will gather a unique selection of children’s portraits, which were commissioned for the court at Mechelen, for the very first time, as well as tell the historical, educational and artistic story behind them. Portraits by such prominent painters as the Master of the Mechelen Guild of St. George and Jan Gossart will be exhibited alongside valuable manuscripts that were used to teach children to read and write, as well as treatises on education by Desiderius Erasmus and Juan Luis Vives, sixteenth-century children’s toys and rare jewellery that was said to protect the wearer against illness and death.
26/03/2021 - 4/07/2021
Museum Hof van Busleyden, Sint-Janstraat 2a (enter through the garden), 2800 Mechelen, Belgium
Trésors princiers. Richesses de la cour de Navarre au XVIe siècle.
The treasures of the kings of Navarre are celebrated for their richness, sometimes even surpassing those of the kings of France. Marked by the humanist figure of Marguerite d’Angoulême, a woman of letters and an artistic patron, this exceptional patrimony evolved over time and marital alliances. Including objects of goldsmiths' work, precious jewels and rare books, this exhibition pays homage to the scattered treasure with loans from the Musée du Louvre, the château d’Écouen and the Prado. It brings to life the great days of the Château de Pau, whose courtyard and Renaissance gardens have just been restored.
7/04/2017 - 9/07/2017
Musée national et domaine du château de Pau, Rue du Château, 64000 Pau, France
Austrasie, le royaume mérovingien oublié
An exhibition dedicated to the forgotten kingdom of the eastern Franks, the cradle of the Merovingian dynasty. It will reunite for the first time treasures from several leading European museums, including objects from the tomb of the sub-prince of Cologne, the ring of the archbishop Arnoul de Metz, and the jewels of the lady of Grez-Doiceau.
16/09/2016 - 26/03/2017
Espace Camille Claudel, 9, avenue de la République, 52100 Saint-Dizier, France
Thomas Becket: murder and the making of a saint
Marking the 850th anniversary of this dramatic crime, this major exhibition will present Becket's tumultuous journey from a London merchant's son to Archbishop, and from a revered saint in death to a 'traitor' in the eyes of Henry VIII, over 350 years later. Becket was one of the most powerful figures of his time, serving as royal Chancellor and later as Archbishop of Canterbury. Initially a close friend of King Henry II, the two men became engaged in a bitter dispute that culminated in Becket's shocking murder by knights with close ties to the king. Get up close to the man, the murder and the legend through an incredible array of objects associated with Becket, including medieval stained glass, manuscripts, jewelry and sacred reliquaries. It will feature artefacts from the Museum's collection as well as important loans from other major collections from the UK and around the world.
20/05/2021 - 22/08/2021
The British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG, UK
Little Pieces of Heaven
A celebration of small religious finds from the careless and the fearful. Lost and buried objects acquired by the Museum under Portable Antiquities legislation throwing new light on the Middle Ages.
13/02/2016 – 18/06/2016
Bucks County Museum, Church Street, Aylesbury, HP20 2QP, UK
Treasures and Talismans. Rings from the Griffin Collection
Rings are one of the oldest and most familiar forms of bodily adornment. Worn by both women and men, they serve as declarations of status, markers of significant life events, expressions of identity, and protective talismans. They also have been a source of boundless invention for goldsmiths and their clients. The rings featured in this exhibition come from the Griffin Collection. While the collection includes finger rings from across the ages, our selection focuses specifically on objects made in the ancient, medieval, and Renaissance periods. Related works from the Metropolitan's collection highlight the connections between rings and other works of art, such as painting, metalwork, and manuscript illumination. Also discussed will be the connection of rings to religion, superstition, love, marriage, and identity.
1/05/2015 - 18/10/2015
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Cloisters, 99 Margaret Corbin Drive, Fort Tryon Park, New York, NY 10040, USA
Constancia. Women and Power in the Mediterranean Empire of Frederick II
This remarkable exhibition tells the story of four powerful women who lived between the 12th and 14th centuries, all linked to Frederick II and all baptized with the name Constance: the emperor’s mother, wife, daughter and granddaughter. The artifacts on display tell the story of Constance of Altavilla, queen and empress (1154-1198), mother of Frederick II; of the first wife of the “Stupor mundi” (‘Wonder of the world’), Empress Constance of Aragon (1184c.-1222), whose 800th death anniversary falls this year and whose funeral rings will be on display; of Empress Constance (1231c.-1307 /13) natural daughter of Frederick II and Bianca Lancia and child bride of John III Ducas Vatatzes, Emperor of the East in Nicea; and of Queen Constance (1249-1300), daughter of Manfredi, another natural son of Frederick II.
From Sicily to the ICI-New York, on view for the first time after having remained in a safe for decades, the cabochon-cut quartz that adorned the fibula of the cloak with which Frederick II was placed in the red porphyry sarcophagus in 1251, in the Cathedral of Palermo. And on display a number of precious and varied artifacts from the Cathedrals and diocesan collections of Palermo and Monreale, the Municipal Library and the Palatine Chapel, the Salinas Archaeological Museum and the Gallery of Palazzo Abatellis in Palermo, and other Institutions, as well as part of the collections of the Sicilian Regional Assembly and private collections.
A virtual visit of the exhibition will be available on stanzaitaliane.it, as well as comments, notes and interviews.
8/03/2022 - 28/04/2022
Italian Cultural Institute, 686 Park Avenue, NY, USA
Ori, Argenti, Gemme e Smalti della Napoli Angioina 1266 – 1381
Gold, silver, gems and enamels from House of Anjou, Naples, 1266-1380
The artistic culture that distinguished thirteenth and fourteenth century Naples was a formidable blend of European and Central Italian Gothic. The Naples branch of the House of Anjou was related to those in Paris and Budapest and strove to conquer the Orient. Treasures in churches and museums still preserve a selection of the extraordinary and precious objects that were made in Naples in those years, beginning with the masterpiece crafted by French goldsmiths - Etienne, Godefroy, Milet d’Auxerre Guillaume de Verdelay - at the atelier attached to the court of Charles II; the reliquary bust of San Gennaro (1304-05) which is still in the Cappella del Tesoro del Santo (Chapel of the Treasure of the Saint) today. For the first time ever, all these precious objects are displayed together to tell the story of the House of Anjou in Naples.
12/10/2014 - 31/01/2015
Museo del Tesoro di San Gennaro, Via Duomo, 149, 80138 Napoli, Italy
Die Krone von Kertsch. Schätze aus Europas Frühzeit
The Crown of Kerch. Treasures from the Dawn of European History
Gold jewellery from the migration period found near the Black Sea, silver brooches and magnificent belts from early medieval graves in France, Italy, Spain, and Germany: a selection from the collection of Johannes von Diergardt will be on view again in Berlin for the first time in 80 years, returning to the city where they were displayed until 1934. Following the death of the collector and art lover, these works moved to the Römisch-Germanisches Museum in Cologne. Construction work in the Cologne museum now offers a perfect opportunity to present the treasures to the Berlin public again for the first time in many years.
19/10/2017 - 29/09/2019
Neues Museum, Bodestraße, 10178 Berlin, Germany
Treasures of Ancient Russia from the Russian Museum Collection
The exhibition presents unique jewellery of gold and silver dated to the XIth-XIIIth centuries and from most rich treasures that were hidden mostly in 1237-1240, in the period when Mongol-Tatar armies attacked Russian towns. The exposition brings together over 400 works that present different techniques and styles of the Pre-Mongolian jewellery craft. The Russian Museum collection treasures is one of the richest in the world and includes many masterpieces. The most significant of them are the objects made of gold with cloisonné enamel, of silver with niello and engraving, and also adornments decorated with tiniest granulating: precious ceremonial attires of the princes (knyaz) and members of their families, boyars and warriors from Kiev, Chernigov and Old Ryazan. The most prominent are the adornments from Kiev treasures: pendants ornamented with depictions of the Sirin bird and the "ryasny" chains (the best examples of this kind ever found in Russia) and also a golden diadem with the depiction of Deisis that was used as a bridal crown. In the silver jewellery treasures the true masterpieces are the wide folding bracelets with depiction of animals and birds and the scenes of the pagan folk festivities - "rousalii". All these exhibits provide an opportunity to know the artistic tastes of the townsfolk and also the jewellers' skill and show the richness of jewellery adornments of people in the Ancient Rus. The special section of exhibition shows the tools of jewellers that executed the adornments. The exposition also includes the tribal jewellery attires of Russia, Byzantium, Volga Bulgaria and Scandinavia to let see the originality of the Old Russian goldwork that is presented by the embellishments from the hidden treasures.
12/11/2015 – 10/01/2016
The Russian Museum, Mikhailovsky Castle, 2 Sadovaya Str., St Petersburg, Russia
Treasures of the Middle Ages: Archaeological Finds from Poland
Schätze des Mittelalters – Schmuck aus dem Staatlichen Archäologischen Museum Warschau
The exhibition, a travelling exhibition from the State Archaeological Museum in Warsaw, includes bracelets, rings, earrings, buckles, brooches, pendants and necklaces. Items worn by the nobility were made from gold, silver, bronze and glass while other people often wore objects made from copper, tin and even lead. In medieval times the type of jewellery a person possessed often indicated their status in society as well as their wealth and this topic is dealt with in the exhibition. As well as detailing the different types of jewellery worn and its decorative and practical function, the exhibition shows the various processes involved in the making of certain examples of the items on display. This provides an insight into the sophisticated techniques of those who produced the jewellery. The exhibition also includes information on how the designs incorporated into the jewellery reflected the beliefs and culture of the time. Some pieces on display are associated with worship of the sun or moon or elements in nature and some designs are particularly associated with men or women. One of the highlights of the exhibition is the section on the Borucin hoard which was discovered in northern Poland in 1856. The objects found date to about 1050 and include a total of 36 objects, ranging from gold and silver beads to disc pendants, a ‘lunula’ or moon-shaped pendant, and an amulet case.
16/10/2012 - 10/03/2013
Archäologisches Landesmuseum Brandenburg im Paulikloster, Neustädtische Heidestr. 28, 14776 Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany
13/06/2013 – 22/09/2013
Down County Museum, The Mall, Downpatrick, County Down, BT30 6AH, UK
05/10/2013 – 6/01/2014
The Braid, Ballymena Town Hall, Museum & Arts Centre, 1 - 29 Bridge Street, Ballymena BT43 5EJ, UK
20/09/2014 - 15/03/2015
Museen Stade, Wasser West 39, 21682 Stade, Germany
Trésor du Saint-Sépulcre. Présents des cours royales européennes à Jérusalem.
The exhibition presents 250 unknown masterpieces from one of the last treasures of the Occident, the treasure of the Holy Sepulchre. Sent to the basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem by the principal European rulers, some of these extraordinay works of art are revealed for the first time to the public in the Hall of Crusades of the Palace of Versailles whose paintings have recently been restored. The visitor will discover these sumptuous gifts which are unique in the world. Displayed according to their origin, they show how the different European rulers rivalled each other in generosity to enhance the splendour of the Treasure of the Holy Sepulchre. The immense power of fascination and attraction of Jerusalem arise from this exhibition as well as the diplomatic, political and religious stakes involved. A catalogue of the exhibition is available in French or English for €39.
16/04/2013 - 14/07/2013
Château de Versailles, Place d'Armes - 78000 Versailles, France
Gold: Status and Glory. Masterpieces from the Middle Ages and Today
From the secular to the sacred, this exhibition will offer visitors a remarkable experience which will show the timeless appeal and symbolism of gold as it was perceived in imagery of the Middle Ages juxtaposed with Giovanni Corvaja’s work, representing the finest craftsmanship of the 21st century. Giovanni Corvaja has been fascinated and inspired by metals, especially gold, since early childhood. His jewellery is represented in some of the most famous public collections in the world not only as jewellery for adornment but also, as the respected British jewellery specialist and author Geoffrey Munn OBE says in his catalogue essay for the exhibition, “as examples of miraculous contemporary craftsmanship and art”. Munn continues “Ductile, malleable and incorruptible gold holds a deep fascination for Corvaja. However, the miraculous qualities of the metal, especially its unique beauty, can only be revealed by the experience and skill of the goldsmith. Although Giovanni Corvaja follows a very ancient tradition in his workshop in Todi in Italy, he has developed skills and techniques that have broken all previous bounds. Central to these is the ability to draw the precious yellow metal into threads hardly thicker than a spider’s silk”.
2/05/2013 – 31/05/2013
Moretti Fine Art, 2a-6 Ryder Street, St. James’s, London SW1, UK
Archaeology: Treasures of the Swiss National Museum
For the first time in French-speaking Switzerland, the Château de Prangins is exhibiting masterpieces from the archaeological collection of the Swiss National Museum. First established back in the 19th century, this exceptional collection spans the millennia, from 100,000 BC to 800 AD: the Palaeolithic Era to the Early Middle Ages. It is also unique in Switzerland in that it illustrates the archaeology of all the country's regions. It includes the 4th century BC Erstfeld Treasure of gold torcs and bracelets, and the 3rd century Lunnern Treasure of gold jewellery.
27/04/2012 – 14/10/2012
Musée national suisse – Château de Prangins, Switzerland
Unearthed – Riches of the Romans and Anglo Saxons
This archaeology exhibition features some brilliant Anglo-Saxon and Roman objects along with some exciting new technology to display and interpret some of the star items. It’s an opportunity to showcase a lot of work the museum has been doing with different community groups over the past year as part of our ASPIRE funded project, History in the Making.
8/02/2014 - 27/04/2014
The Oxfordshire Museum, Fletcher's House, Park Street, Woodstock, Oxfordshire OX20 1SN, UK
Warrior Treasures: Saxon Gold from the Staffordshire Hoard
'Warrior Treasures' is a dazzling collection of gold ornaments studded with blood-red garnets that reveal how an Anglo-Saxon sword was more than just a weapon. It signified a warrior’s status, wealth, family and even religious beliefs. The ornaments in this exhibition are part of the Staffordshire Hoard, which is made up of around 4,000 fragments of gold, silver and semiprecious gems that were stripped from swords and seaxes (single-edged knives). It was unearthed in July 2009 and is the largest Anglo-Saxon hoard ever found. The hoard reveals breath-taking workmanship and sophisticated designs which have challenged our preconceptions of art in the late 600s AD. Research on the Hoard has shed light on the ‘Dark Ages’ and brings to life the Old English poem Beowulf, in which great kings with hoards of gold bestow precious gifts upon loyal heroes. The secrets of the hoard are still being uncovered through painstaking research and on-going conservation.
22/10/2016 – 23/04/2017
Bristol Museum & Art Gallery, Queens Rd, Bristol BS8 1RL, UK
Staffordshire Hoard: Dark Age Discovery
The Staffordshire Hoard is the largest and most valuable Anglo-Saxon treasure ever found. Now an exciting new exhibition at The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery will set it in its historical context and reveal the story of its discovery and conservation. More than a hundred specially chosen pieces will be displayed in all their dazzling glory. On show together for the first time in Britain, these breathtakingly beautiful examples of delicate Saxon metalwork have intrigued archaeologists and forced historians to question what they thought they knew about England in the seventh century. Every expert has a different opinion; what's yours?
21/07/2012 – 1/09/2013
The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Bethesda Street, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 3DW, UK
Staffordshire Hoard
The Staffordshire Hoard was found in July 2009 by Terry Herbert, a metal detector enthusiast decided to try his luck in farmland close to his home near Lichfield, Staffordshire. The items he discovered – over 1,500 pieces of beautifully crafted gold and silver from the 7th century Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia - amount to the most valuable treasure hoard ever discovered in the UK, worth £3.3 million. A selection of Staffordshire Hoard artefacts is on display in Gallery 16. These include 20 artefacts previously unseen.
24/07/2010 – 31/12/2011
>Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Birmingham, B3 3DH, UK
Anglo-Saxon Hoard:Gold from England’s Dark Ages
On July 5th 2009, Terry Herbert, a metal detector enthusiast, discovered the largest collection of Anglo-Saxon gold ever found. From farmland near Lichfield in Staffordshire, England, Terry and a team of archaeologists unearthed more than 3,500 pieces from hundreds of individual objects dating to about 650 A.D. Valued at close to $5 million, the hoard includes exquisitely crafted artifacts, most of which are military in nature. More than 100 of these artifacts will be on exhibition at the National Geographic Museum including elaborate gold and garnet sword fittings, decorative elements for helmets, crosses, and a gold strip bearing a Latin inscription from the Bible. Don’t miss the only U.S. appearance of the Anglo-Saxon Hoard!
29/10/2011 - 4/03/2012
National Geographic Museum, Washington, D.C., US 20036, USA
Il Tesoro dei Longobardi
Lombard treasure
This exhibition, the second in a series of exhibitions dedicated to the processing of gold and precious metals in the ancient world, will display ancient Lombard objects from the Duchy of Cividale, the National Archaeological Museum of Florence, the Academy of Cortona and the Diocese of Arezzo-Cortona-Sansepolcro, in comparison with a special section dedicated to contemporary jewellery crafts. The goldsmiths' association Confartigianato Arezzo offers contemporary creations inspired by the shapes of the ancient Lombard goldsmiths. The exhibition will be accompanied by a catalogue.
12/04/2013 – 30/06/2013
MAEC – Museo dell’Accademia Etrusca e della Città di Cortona, Palazzo Casali, piazza Signorelli, 9 – 52044 Cortona (AR), Italy
Reims capitale mérovingienne
Reims, the Merovingian Capital
To mark the 1500th anniversary of the creation of the Frankish kingdom (512-2012), St. Remi Museum offers a journey back to the sixth century. In an evocation of daily life in the Champagne-Ardenne, this exhibition focuses on three tombs and their treasures, discovered in 2002 in Saint-Dizier.
19/04/2012 - 29/07/2012
Musée Saint Remi, 3 rue Simon, 51100 Reims, France
Becket 2020. Pilgrim Badge Display
2020 marks an important dual anniversary for the extraordinary figure of Thomas Becket. It will be 850 years since his dramatic murder on the 29th December 1170 in Canterbury Cathedral, and 800 years since his body was moved on the 7th July 1220 from a tomb in the crypt of the cathedral into a glittering shrine. While St Thomas Becket is an internationally renowned figure, his connections to London are rather less well-known. For over 300 years, Londoners flocked to Becket's shrine in Canterbury often returning with a pewter badge as a keepsake. Hundreds of these pilgrim souvenirs have been recovered from London excavations and mudlarking activity along the Thames and the museum holds the largest collection in the country. The Museum of London will use some of its pilgrim badges, which is the largest collection in the country, to illustrate St Thomas Becket’s extraordinary life and his connections to the capital. Undertake your own mini-pilgrimage through the museum’s Medieval London Gallery as you discover more about Thomas Becket the man and his early life in London, his exile and murder, the impact of his death and rise in miracle cures and finally, Becket’s shrine and the Jubilee of the Martyrdom in 1220.
14/02/2020. ended early due to covid
Museum of London
150 London Wall, Barbican, London EC2Y 5HN, UK
Treasures of Heaven: saints, relics and devotion in medieval Europe
This major exhibition brings together for the first time some of the finest sacred treasures of the medieval age. It features over 150 objects drawn from more than 40 institutions including the Vatican, European church treasuries, museums from the USA and Europe and the British Museum’s own pre-eminent collection.
23/06/2011 – 9/10/2011
The British Museum, London, UK
Between Orient and Occident. Treasures of the Kremlin from Ivan the Terrible to Peter the Great
In 2006 the Grünes Gewölbe presented an exhibition at the Moscow Kremlin Museums under the title “The Jewel Cabinet of August the Strong”. Now, six years later, the host museums are paying a return visit to Dresden: Around 140 masterpieces from the Moscow Kremlin Museums are on show in a special exhibition in the State Apartments of Dresden’s former Royal Palace (Residenzschloss). They include items from the collection of European silver from the Kremlin Armoury, sumptuous garments, precious jewellery and vessels, as well as arms produced by Turkish and Persian craftsmen. These objects will be complemented by 23 items on loan from the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen and the Saxon State and University Library (SLUB), and also from the Herzog August Library in Wolfenbüttel.
1/12/2012 - 4/03/2013
Green Vault (Grünes Gewölbe), Royal Palace (Residenzschloss), Taschenberg 2, D-01067 Dresden, Germany
The Medici Treasury. From collections of the Silver Museum and other museums of Florence.
The display, presented in the One-Pillar Chamber of the Patriarch's Palace, is one of the gala performances organized within the series of exhibition projects, which are intended to present the world famous collections in the Moscow Kremlin. It introduces our visitors to magnificent rarities of the XVth-XVIIIth centuries from the Medici treasury. Today its major part is preserved in the Silver Museum in Florence, located in the in the Palazzo Pitti. For many centuries this palace has been the chief residence of the powerful dynasty. The Medici, having been both the ruling family of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany from its inception until 1737 and generous patrons of culture and the arts, initiated a phenomenon, that we now call "collecting", and managed to assemble a vast collection of precious artifacts, which has become a model for the succeeding generations of sovereign collectors as well as a prototype of future European museums. The fact that the flourishing city of Florence was considered to be an artistic capital of Italy during several centuries was to a large extent the merit of the Medici family. Without their patronage it is impossible to imagine the development of art collecting as well as the development of the Italian art from the Renaissance to the Age of the Enlightenment.
20/05/2011 - 1/08/2011
One-Pillar Chamber of the Patriarch's Palace, Kremlin, Moscow, Russia
Gems and Jewellery of the Medici
When speaking of Florence, the birthplace of Renaissance culture, we cannot fail to mention the House of Medici, who held the reins of power over the city for 300 years. It would be no exaggeration to say that the very name of the Medici family, patrons to a host of superlative artists, became synonymous with Renaissance arts. The collection of riches accumulated over time by the Medici is now housed in the Palazzo Pitti's Silver Museum, otherwise known as the 'Medici Treasury'. Visitors to the museum can see a dizzying array of art pieces that served at the time as a symbol of the family's wealth and power, commissioned and collected by members of the Medici family, from Cosimo de' Medici I, First Grand Duke of Tuscany, to the Pope Clement VII, born Giulio di Giuliano de' Medici. Then there is the beloved jewellery collection of Anna Maria Luisa, proud final scion of the declining Medici house, which is quite dazzling in its beauty. Indeed, the collection of Medici treasure in the Museo degli Argenti, Gallerie degli Uffizi, Florence has much to reveal about this family's turbulent and fascinating history. This exhibition at the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Museum of Art brings together a range of highlights from the collection, including portraits created by court painters of the likes of Bronzino, and the stunning Renaissance jewellery with which the Medici family adorned themselves. It marks the first public exhibition of these stunning Medici treasures inside Japan.
22/04/2016 - 5/07/2016
Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum, 5-21-9, Shirokanedai, Minato-ku Tokyo, 108-0071 JAPAN
Oro dai Visconti agli Sforza. Smalti e oreficeria nel Ducato di Milan
Gold from the Visconti to the Sforza. Enamels and goldsmith's work in the Duchty of Milan
For the first time, an exhibition will trace the history of goldsmith's work in the Duchy of Milan between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, testifying to its quality and predominant role, through 60 masterpieces from the most prestigious collections both public and private, Italian and international, including the German Essen Cathedral, the Louvre in Paris and the National Gallery in Washington. A catalogue produced by Silvana Editoriale will accompany the exhibition.
30/09/2011 – 29/01/2012
Museo Diocesano, Milano, Italy
The Real Tudors: Kings and Queens Rediscovered
This special display, focusing on the portraiture of the Tudor monarchs, will allow visitors to rediscover these well-known kings and queens through the most complete presentation of their images staged to date. Works from the Gallery’s Collection will be presented alongside exceptional loans and a prized possession of each monarch, as well as recent research undertaken as part of the 'Making Art in Tudor Britain' project, to help visitors understand how and why such images were made. As well as the richly jewelled portraits there will be a few actual examples on show, including the rosary of Henry VIII and a locket ring owned by Elizabeth I. The exhibition is accompanied by a beautifully illustrated catalogue with over fifty reproduced portraits, and including the findings from recent technical analysis.
12/09/2014 – 1/03/2015
National Portrait Gallery, St Martin’s Place, London WC2H 0HE, UK
Mary Queen of Scots
Mary Queen of Scots was one of a number of female rulers in Renaissance Europe and she will be considered in this context, examining her power and influence, making comparisons with her peers. She was an important figure dynastically and key in the religious struggles provoked by the Reformation. Through her son she is the direct ancestor of the present royal family. Mary brought many splendid pieces of jewellery from France when she returned to Scotland in 1561. She continued to patronise Scottish goldsmiths and jewellers throughout her reign in Scotland. However, few examples survive, but the remarkable pieces which will be displayed include the Penicuik jewels incorporating two portrait lockets believed to be of herself and her son James, a heart jewel and a cameo ring. An intriguing item is the silver ryal or 30 shillings coin which commemorated the marriage of Mary, Queen of Scots and Henry, Lord Darnley. This was struck in Scotland in 1565 and then quickly withdrawn from circulation. It was then redesigned in 1566 with Mary’s image and name appearing before that of her husband. This fascinating exhibition, exploring the life and times of Mary, will bring together an array of treasures never before seen together.
28/06/2013 - 17/11/2013
The National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh EH1 1JF, UK
Frauen. Kunst und Macht. Drei Frauen aus dem Hause Habsburg
The Art of Power. Habsburg Women in the Renaissance
The Art of Power focuses on three remarkable women who set standards in courtly culture within the Habsburg dynasty: Archduchess Margaret, governor of the Burgundian Netherlands (1480– 1530), Archduchess Mary, Queen of Hungary (1505– 1558) and Archduchess Catherine, Queen of Portugal (1507– 1578). The exhibition presents around one hundred works from important European collections from Austria, Hungary, Portugal, Switzerland and Germany: Kunstkammer objects, tapestries, portraits, sculptures, illuminated manuscripts, valuable gemstone jewellery, and objects from new foreign lands. Such treasures and luxury articles were important for courtly representation in the Renaissance and reflected the social status, rank and wealth of the ruling families in the 16th century.
14/07/2018 - 7/10/2018
Schloss Ambras Innsbruck, Schlossstraße 20, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Splendour & Power: Imperial Treasures from Vienna
With its roots in the medieval family treasure of the House of Hapsburg, the collection that is today contained within the Kunstkammer was once safeguarded in the Imperial Treasury in Vienna. These objects, almost all of which are unique creations, were designed to demonstrate the incredible wealth, power and glory of the Hapsburg dynasty, and only visitors of noble birth - such as princes of neighbouring countries or diplomatic delegations - were permitted to enter the treasure trove. Now, audiences to this landmark exhibition can follow in their footsteps and experience the opulence and grandeur of this glittering collection for themselves. The exhibition, which is the only UK showing of this amazing treasure, will feature: Exquisite jewellery, from necklaces, pendants and lockets to rings and enseignes, complemented by pre-eminent examples of medieval and Renaissance jewellery; Intricate portrait cameos, many of which bear the likenesses of the Hapsburgs sovereigns crafted in the style of ancient Roman imperial portraits; Ornate goldwork, vessels and coffers, including a bowl featuring embedded Roman coins, and a serpentine tankard; Stonework, carving and sculpture, with precious objects crafted from agate, jasper, rock-crystal and lapis lazuli, including a cup made from rhinoceros horn and a Chinese jade bowl.
16/08/2011 – 8/01/2012
The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge CB2 1RB, UK
Glanz der Macht – kaiserliche Pretiosen aus der Wiener Kunstkammer In Kooperation mit dem Kunsthistorischen Museum Wien
The Splendour of Power - Hapsburg imperial Jewellery from the Kunstkammer in Vienna
Beauty, distinctiveness and glamour distinguish these imperial jewels from the Kunstkammer in Vienna, itself a jewel among Kunstkammers. These were status-enhancing qualities intended to illuminate their wearers. The exhibition will show precious and exquisite pieces of jewellery, State insignia, and objets d'art made from precious hardstones.
03/12/2010 – 13/02/2011
Schmuckmuseum, Pforzheim, Germany
17/04/2011 – 24/07/2011
Stiftung Moritzburg - Kunstmuseum des Landes Sachsen-Anhalt, Halle (Saale), Germany
Il Tesoro di Napoli. I Capolavori del Museo di San Gennaro
Naples’s Treasure. Masterpieces from the Museum of Saint Januarius
Promoted by the Fondazione Roma and organised by the Fondazione Roma-Arte-Musei, this exhibition will retrace seven centuries of donations made to the patron saint of Naples, Saint Januarius, by Popes, Emperors, Kings, Sovereigns and distinguished and common citizens, showing one of world’s most precious collections of goldsmith’s art. Some of the most important specimens of this priceless heritage of rare beauty will leave the venue where they are kept, the Museo del Tesoro di San Gennaro in Naples, for the very first time, to be shown in all their glory to visitors.
30/10/2013 – 16/02/2014
Museo Fondazione Roma, Palazzo Sciarra, Via Marco Minghetti, 22 – 00187 Roma
The Treasure of San Gennaro
For the first time in history, the most prestigious works of the legendary Treasure of San Gennaro will be exhibited to the public at the same time in the beautiful sites of six different museums in Naples. The Treasure contains seven centuries of donations of popes, emperors, kings, rulers, famous people and ordinary people. Thanks to the ancient institution of the Deputation of the Royal Chapel of San Gennaro, the treasure is intact since 1527, having never suffered spoliation or theft or financed wars. Napoleon himself, who plundered everywhere he went, not only took nothing, but had to give San Gennaro a monstrance of gold, silver and precious stones of superb beauty and refinement. For the privilege of being considered worthy of being part of the Treasure of San Gennaro all the donated works correspond to high quality artistic and cultural value and were made by the great artisans of the time.
9/04/2011 – 6/01/2012
Museo del Tesoro di San Gennaro, Royal Chapel of San Gennaro, Duomo di Napoli, Complex Girolamini, Historical archives of the Banco di Napoli, Diocesan Museum, Naples, Italy
Le trésor de Naples : les joyaux de San Gennaro
For the first time, the Treasures of San Gennaro will be shown outside Italy in a special exhibition at the Musée Maillol. This is one of the largest jewellery collections in the world, comparable to the crown jewels of France or England, which belongs not to the former ruling dynasties, or the Nation, but to the Neapolitan people themselves. San Gennaro, martyred during the Diocletian persecution, is the major patron saint of the city. His blood, collected in two phials, has liquefied three times a year, on the same dates, for centuries, a phenomenon that even science can not explain. On 13 January 1527 an unusual contract was signed between the people of Naples and the Saint, dead for over 1200 years. In exchange for his protection against the eruptions of Vesuvius and the plague, the Neapolitans undertook to establish and keep a treasure in the chapel which they built and dedicated to him in the cathedral. Today this cult has lost none of its force. The most important masterpieces of the Treasury of San Gennaro, realized and accumulated over the centuries, will be shown in this exhibition, including the collar of San Gennaro, the mitre of the saint, 15 colossal busts, and the reliquary.
19/03/2014 - 20/07/2014
Musée Maillol, 59-61 rue de Grenelle, 75007 Paris, France
Schätze des Mittelalters – Schmuck aus dem Staatlichen Archäologischen Museum Warschau
Treasures of the Middle Ages - Jewellery from the National Archaeological Museum in Warsaw
This exhibition will present 440 pieces of jewellery from Slavic cemeteries, medieval castle walls and discoveries. The sites are in what is now Poland, Ukraine and Belarus. The beautiful earrings, bracelets and necklaces are made of silver, bronze and gold, glass, semiprecious stones and amber. They represent jewellery styles of the western and eastern Slavs. Thus, the Slavic culture of the Middle Ages is displayed in all its glory and abundance. Accompanying the exhibition is a catalogue produced in cooperation between the Warsaw Museum and the National Museum in Brandenburg.
06/10/2009 – 10/01/2010
Stadtmuseum Halle - Christian-Wolff-Haus, Halle, Germany
12/02/2011 – 08/05/2011
Museum in der Kaiserpfalz, Paderborn, Germany
Moravian-Silesian Frontier in the Time of John of Luxembourg
A major exhibition to celebrate the 700th anniversary of the accession of the Luxembourg dynasty to the Czech throne. Highlights of the exhibition will include part of the Bohemian royal treasure that was discovered in the Polish Silesian town of Sroda Slaska in the 1980s, and the crown of Blanche of Valois.
15/12/2010 - 31/03/2011
Ostrava Museum, Ostrava, Czech Republic
Ivory in Bruges. Treasures from museums, churches and monasteries
This is an exhibition of precious and delicate jewels. The collection of ivory art works comes from Bruges churches, monasteries and museums. Most of these exceptional objects are of religious origin, but there are also a number of buckles and even an early hairpin. These unique pieces, some of which date back to the 12th century, are brought together for the first time in the medieval wards of Saint John’s Hospital.
29/04/2010 – 7/11/2010
Memling in Sint-Jan - Hospitaalmuseum, Bruges, Belgium
Precious and Beautiful. Cameos and intaglios of the Medici
Gem collecting was one of the most fascinating aspects of the rediscovery of antiquity which characterised the Renaissance. As of the first half of the XV century, cameos and intaglios were much sought after by popes, princes and cardinals, on several occasions indeed giving rise to harsh disputes between admirers who were even ready to spend large sums to secure themselves the desired piece. Presenting a select number of pieces of exceptional quality from the most important Italian and foreign museums, the exhibition will illustrate the complex history of this treasure, starting from its formation by Cosimo, Piero and, especially, Lorenzo de’ Medici who reserved a special place to cameos and intaglios in his art collections.
25/03/2010 – 27/06/2010
Museo degli Argenti, Palazzo Pitti, Florence, Italy
Charles the Bold
For the very first time, this fascinating and important historical figure has been made the subject of an international exhibition. Having visited Bern and Bruges, the exhibition can now be seen - considerably extended - in Vienna. Amongst other things, important items of the famous " Burgundy Booty " are on display. Parts of the exhibition can also be seen in the Treasuries . This historic insight is supplemented with multimedia features, talks, workshops and presentations.
27/03/09 – 21/07/09
Groeningemuseum, Bruges, Belgium
15/09/2009 – 10/01/2010
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria
Crossing the Sea with Fortuna. Saxony and Denmark – Marriages and Alliances mirrored in Art (1548-1709)
A major joint exhibition by the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden and the Royal Collections at Rosenborg Palace in Copenhagen will draw attention to a political alliance that was an important factor in European history – namely, that between Saxony and Denmark. Among the large number of works on display will be important paintings, precious items of jewellery, delicate turned ivory objects, medals and glasses, as well as princely tools, ceremonial weapons and courtly robes.
24/08/2009 - 4/01/2010
Residenzschloss, Dresden, Germany
13/02/2010 - 24/05/2010
Rosenborg Palace, Copenhagen, Denmark
Europe in flames - Art of the Migration Period
The 150th anniversary of the birth of Johannes Freiherr von Diergardt is the occasion for the museum to show masterpieces of the goldsmith's art from the period of profound changes in Europe, a very turbulent period between late antiquity and the early Middle Ages. The baron built a stunning collection of antique and early small artworks, which extends from the Scythians to the Vikings, from western Europe to the steppes of Russia. The core of the famous collections preserve a legacy of the Migration Period - now among the most precious treasure of the Roman-Germanic Museum.
19/06/2009 - 15/11/2009
Römisch-Germanisches-Museum, Cologne, Germany
Anglo-Saxon Art in the Round
This new exhibition from Colchester and Ipswich Museum Service digs deep into what is a fascinating piece of our past, displaying rare items that have never been shown in the area before. On show to the public for the first time ever are weapons from an Anglo-Saxon burial ground, the Coddenham Bed Burial. They were given to fallen women and warriors as vital equipment on their journey into the afterlife. Another popular outlet for Anglo-Saxon artistry was jewellery, and the elegant and ornate Boss Hall Brooch from Sproughton is on display alongside many other examples of the craft.
13/03/2009 - 5/09/2009
Gallery 3, Ipswich Town Hall Galleries, Ipswich, UK
Roman to Renaissance: A private collection of rings
An exhibition devoted to a private collection of thirty-five rings dating from 300 to 1600 AD, from the Paris gallery LES ENLUMINURES. The collection comprises fine examples of rings from the Merovingian, Byzantine, Medieval and Renaissance periods including marriage rings, seal rings, stirrup rings, tart mould rings, iconographic rings, merchant rings and gemstone rings.
12/5/2009 – 22/5/2009
Wartski, London, UK
Treasures of the Black Death
Two extraordinary hoards of jewellery, including the three earliest known examples of Jewish wedding rings, from the Jewish quarter of Colmar, France, and Erfurt, Germany, go on display in Britain for the first time.
19/2/2009 – 10/5/2009
The Wallace Collection, London, UK
The Colmar Treasure: A Medieval Jewish Legacy
A cache of jewelled rings, brooches, and coins — the precious possessions of a Jewish family of medieval Alsace — was hidden in the 14th century in the wall of a house in Colmar, France. Discovered in 1863, the Colmar Treasure revives the memory of a once-thriving Jewish community that was scapegoated and put to death when the Plague struck the region with devastating ferocity in 1348–49. A generous loan of the Musée de Cluny, Paris, the Colmar Treasure will be displayed alongside select works from The Met Cloisters and little-known Judaica from collections in the United States and France. Although the objects on view are small in scale and relatively few in number, the ensemble overturns conventional notions of medieval Europe as a monolithic Christian society. The exhibition will point to both legacy and loss, underscoring the prominence of the Jewish minority community in the tumultuous 14th century and the perils it faced.
22/07/2019 - 12/01/2020
The Met Cloisters, 99 Margaret Corbin Drive, Fort Tryon Park, New York, NY 10040, USA
Jewels of Europe. The treasure of Sroda Slaska
In May 1988, a hoard of silver and gold coins was unearthed at a demolition site within the medieval town centre. Several days later, gold ornaments were found at the municipal landfill among the rubble from other sites in the Old Town. Considering the date, the treasure was probably hidden and its location, as well as the character and style of the jewels, it seems likely that they belonged to the Bohemian rulers of the House of Luxemburg and were pawned to the Jewish bankers of Sroda Slaska under the reign of the Emperor Charles IV (1346-1378).
19/11/2008 – 29/03/2009
National Museum in Wroclaw, Poland
Leonhard Kern und Europa - Die Kaiserliche Schatzkammer Wien im Dialog mit der Sammlung Würth
Leonhard Kern and Europe - The Imperial Treasury Vienna in combination with the Würth Collection
The baroque sculptor Leonhard Kern, born in Hohenlohe and settled in Schwäbisch Hall with his successful workshop after extensive travels, enchanted the princely Kunstkammers of Europe with his carved jewels. The Imperial Treasury Vienna, the greatest collection of its kind in the world, is the first to combine its masterpieces by Leonhard Kern with those of the Würth Collection. Complemented by works by stars of Italian art such as Mantegna or Giambologna, we experience highlights of European art history between the Renaissance and the Baroque. Works of modern art from the Würth Collection also direct our gaze from today's perspective to the local and at the same time European-oriented artist. A cooperation with the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien and the Hällisch-Fränkisches Museum, Schwäbisch Hall.
22/03/2021 - 28/11/2021
Kunsthalle Würth, Lange Straße 35, 74523 Schwäbisch Hall, Germany
Wunderkammer. Cabinets of curiosity. The treasures of Palazzo Abatellis
Wunderkammer were usually workrooms of the Renaissance courts, stately mansions of the rich or the libraries of the monasteries where collectors collected and jealously guarded objects that testify to the grand synthesis between art, science and nature. This exhibition will show fifty extraordinary works of art of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries which belonged to the nobles and monks, and from the Regional Gallery of Palazzo Abatellis in Palermo, including wonderful artificial objects or ornaments from nature (such as coral, ivory and precious woods) that surprise (such as the nautilus shell decorated with miniatures and motifs in silver) or artistic reworkings by man (works in glass and brass).
19/12/2009 – 9/02/2010
The former Tobacco Factory, Catania, Italy
The Dream of a King: Dresden’s Green Vault
Masterpieces of goldsmith and jewellery art, valuable items of amber and ivory, as well as vessels of precious stones and elaborate bronze statuettes belong to the selected objects. Next to the original art works from the collection of August the Strong, the exhibition presents needle-sharp photographic reproductions of the walls of the Historisches Grünes Gewölbe, which will convey an authentic impression of the original Baroque arrangement of the works of art to the visitor.
1/11/2011 - 26/01/2012
Museum of Islamic Art, Doha Harbour, Qatar