7,000 years of jewellery art

The Fascination of Jewellery

Published January 1, 2025

An exhibition of 7,000 years of jewellery: of course, I had to go and see that! The Cologne Museum of Applied Arts (MAKK) devoted an exhibition based on its own formidable collection of jewellery. It turned out to be a beautiful, albeit very classic, jewellery exhibition.

The MAKK jewellery collection

The MAKK holds around 1,700 pieces of jewellery in its collection. As this is a design museum (and so not specifically a jewellery or historic museum), and the collection has been built by both acquisition and generous gifts, the collection reflects a traditional European viewpoint of jewellery: Antiquity, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the 19^th century form its focal points. [1]

The geographical focus of all this is profoundly European [2]: among the antiquities, there are of course pieces from the ancient civilizations in North Africa and Southwest Asia – these were avidly collected in Europe.

The ‘cross-cultural content’ of the exhibition, as mentioned on the exhibition website, therefore is to be seen as more cross-cultural within Europe, rather than cross-cultural as in: including non-Western cultures.

7,000 years of jewellery art in the MAKK

The exhibition itself is organised thematically as well as chronologically. This works very well: each showcase is devoted to a theme, which itself is then built up chronologically. The texts with each theme are very accessible and enlighting.

I loved that the exhibition started out with amulets as one of the first themes – one of my favourite capacities of jewellery! See a few of these in the gallery above: click to enlarge the images. Other themes include rings, mourning jewellery, inspiration from flora and fauna, as well as more stylistic developments such as the emergence of archaeologically inspired jewellery, Art Nouveau and mass-produced jewellery. A series of modern designs finally showcases contemporary takes on themes such as identity, the relation to the human body and intricate constructions.

The Fascination of Jewellery: the dreamed potential

I very much enjoyed seeing all of these stunning jewellery items and wandering through themes and time-periods. What I missed however, was an opportunity to highlight the meaning of jewellery beyond the art-historian.

For the Middle Ages for example, the art of enamelling in southern Europe and North Africa forms a technical connection between worlds that could have enhanced the exhibition, and the stylistic impact of the steppe peoples from Central Asia on early medieval jewellery is a beautiful illustration of how worlds are connected rather than separated.

And if ever there was a category of jewellery that underscores identity, it would be regional dress and adornment. The regional jewellery of the German-speaking world alone is so rich and varied, that attention to this jewellery, of more common people, could have added another layer of significance to the exhibition.

Of course, I understand that the collection of the MAKK formed the backbone of this exhibition, and also that this is one of the most respected collections of European jewellery – the jewellery shown in the exhibition is stunning and a privilege to study, no argument there. But with even a few loans from other collections, I think this particular exhibition could have transcended to an even more meaningful goal: building bridges in an increasingly fragmenting society – through jewellery. Illustrating how techniques, forms and designs form part of a shared cultural background of 7,000 years is, or could have been, an incredibly powerful message.

The Fascination of Jewellery: the catalogue

Despite my personal daydream of what a jewellery exhibition could offer, the objects on display are absolutely fabulous. Every single piece of jewellery is breathtaking!And so, I always hope for a catalogue with a jewellery exhibition.

Now one of the great things about exhibitions in German museums happens to be the catalogues, and the book that comes with this exhibition is no exception. It’s a huge, beautiful volume of more than 350 pages, entirely bilingual in German and English, and presents beautiful, crisp photos of the exhibited jewellery along with well-researched and insightful texts. It offers background on the collection strategy, has an introductory chapter on the collection itself by none other than Beatriz Chadour-Sampson, and gives ample explanations with every piece of jewellery featured.

The Fascination of Jewellery: 7,000 years of jewellery art

You will love this exhibition for the quality of its jewellery, offered to a wide public through easily digestible texts and themes. Wandering across the beautifully lit and designed showcases, you will get a great introduction into European jewellery throughout the ages. The catalogue that goes with the exhibition is a must if you work with European jewellery in any capacity! And even though I would have let this spectacular jewellery collection be the inspiration for a different type of exhibition myself, I had a great time – and I’m convinced you will, too.

The Fascination of Jewellery. 7,000 years of jewellery at the MAKK.

I visited the exhibition on my own initiative on Dec 28th, 2024, and purchased the catalogue myself.

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Find out more about the history of jewellery in the e-course!

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The Fascination of Jewellery: references

[1] Focal points as mentioned on the website of the museum, accessed January 1^st, 2025.

[2] As explained in the catalogue, p. 14/15.

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