Exhibition Jewels in the Hermitage in Amsterdam

Parure: set of necklace, bracelets, earrings, ring and brooch

The Hermitage in Amsterdam celebrates its 10 year anniversary and this year they had two very special exhibitions to mark the occassion.

At this moment you can feast your eyes (and a feast it is) on Jewels, an exhibition that shows 300 pieces of jewelry from the treasury of the Hermitage in St. Petersburg and 100 objects and artefacts that are also little gems.

The first part of the exhibition takes you to a ball at the Russian court. Several beautiful gowns from the past centuries are shown here, with the jewels and the accessoires to match. There are also paintings on the walls, and often the jewels shown in the paintings can be seen in the showcases.

Ballgown

Detail of a gown

In smaller cabinets you can see other beautiful items like watches and jewels, and on the second floor there are cabinets with themes like Marriage, Catherine the Great, The dandy etc.

This jewelry box weighs 3 kilograms

You marvel at the details, the craftmansship and the originality of the items. These are all so very beautiful. And what makes them even more beautiful is that these items were worn by the tsarina's and the ladies of the court. That brings history a little bit closer, I always think.

Bracelet and brooch

Fan

I love the Hermitage in Amsterdam and their attention to details. Their exhibitions are always of the highest quality, but in this one I think they excelled themselves. I think this is the most beautiful exhibition I saw in the Hermitage and most certainly the best one I saw this year. I only know I have to go back soon, since I did not see all of it, or at least could not take all of it in.

Bracelet in the shape of a snake

This exhibition can be seen until 15th March 2020, in Amsterdam.