It is not rare to spot on contemporary runways references to the Middle Ages in the cut of coats and capes or in certain styles. Yet there is more to the Medieval times than just garments as an exhibition that will open in June at the Fries Museum in Leeuwarden will prove.
"Goud - Gevonden schatten uit de middeleeuwen" (Gold - Treasures from the Middle Ages) will take visitors back to early medieval Friesland, a province in the northwest of the Netherlands, and introduce them to the sparkling jewellery, coins and other gold artifacts excavated from the Frisian mounds.
Artificial hills that protected people and cattle against flooding caused by the high tides and river floods, the mounds (terp/terpen in Dutch, meaning "village" in Old Frisian) were made using clay, manure and household waste. Many gold pieces such as pendants and coins were found in mound excavations, that also unveiled other peculiar discoveries including the tomb of a woman from the 7th century inside the trunk of a hollow oak tree.
There will be quite a few highlights in the exhibition such as the treasure of Dronrijp, the fibula of Wijnaldum and a unique buckle shield that will be shown for the first time.
The treasure of Dronrijp will be given a prominent place in the exhibition: it consists of parts of a buckle, a pendant, gold grains and several coins.
The fibula Wijnaldum is considered as a masterpiece since it is the largest piece of jewellery inlaid with over three hundred brilliant red almandine (probably imported from India) from early medieval Netherlands and perhaps from the entire Europe.
The event will also feature the famous treasure of Wiewerd on loan from the Museum of Antiquities in Leiden. The treasure includes 220 grams of gold and consists of 39 gold pieces, including three rings, different pendants and the base plate of a fibula.
While the craftsmanship behind some of these artifacts is very inspiring, visitors should actually consider also the importance of the decorations that often hide symbolic meanings or refer to mythological stories, and ponder a bit about the significance of gold in the Frisian social context and in a hierarchical structure. People who owned a gold piece weren't just wealthy but acquired status, position and power: a warrior would for example impress his opponents with the gold decorations on his sword.
The best way to approach these events about such historical pieces is therefore to try and wonder how the study of these objects and of the material they were made of can help us gaining insight into contemporary mentality. After all, it's hard not to think about the meaning and perception of gold objects in the Middle Ages and in modern times, especially considering our society obsessed with greed, status and power, and crippled by financial crises.
"Goud - Gevonden schatten uit de middeleeuwen" will run at the Fries Museum, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands, from 6th June 2015 to 3rd January 2016.
Image credits for this post
1. Gold pendant with almandine from Cornjum, ca. 625 AD. Fries Museum, Leeuwarden; The Royal Collection Frisian Society. Photography: Erik and Petra Hesmerg.
2. Bracteaat from Achlum, late 5th - early 6th century Fries Museum, Leeuwarden; The Royal Collection Frisian Society. Photography: Erik and Petra Hesmerg.
3. Bracteaatschat Achlum, late 5th - early 6th century. Fries Museum, Leeuwarden; The Royal Collection Frisian Society. Photography: Erik and Petra Hesmerg.
4. Gilded fibula from the mound of Hegebeintum, mid-7th century, Fries Museum, Leeuwarden; The Royal Collection Frisian Society. Photography: Erik and Petra Hesmerg.
5. Wijnaldum Fibula inlaid with almandine, 600 n. Chr. Museum, Leeuwarden; Collection province of Friesland. Photography: Erik and Petra Hesmerg.
6. Gold Treasures from the Fries Museum, Fries Museum Collection, Collection province of Friesland, The Royal Collection Frisian Society. Photography: Erik and Petra Hesmerg.
7. Gold Treasure of Dronrijp, mid-7th century, Fries Museum, Leeuwarden; The Royal Collection Frisian Society. Photography: Erik and Petra Hesmerg.
8. Buckle shield with almandine from Wijnaldum, 600 n. Chr. Collection Fries Museum, Leeuwarden. Photography: Erik and Petra Hesmerg.
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