Schmuckmuseum Pforzheim im Reuchlinhaus
Jahnstrasse 42
75173 Pforzheim
Fitting and Befitting — Fibulae and Brooches
20th November until 21st February 2016
The development of clothing entailed the question of how to fasten or artfully gather garments, something which evolved into a theme that challenged jewellery makers in various epochs. As garment fasteners, fibulae served both a practical and an ornamental purpose. Their triumphant advance began in the Bronze Age, when people learned how to artistically work metal. Serving both as fasteners and status symbols, fibulae remained indispensable accessories well into the High Middle Ages. Along with the advent of buttons, they evolved into brooches that »merely« satisfied people’s need for adorning themselves. In the Baroque period, a bodice or a man’s hat without a magnificent brooch would have been unthinkable. In modern times,
brooches have attained a status as autonomous works of art. As »art to wear«, these sculptures worn on the body offer a multitude of options for artistic expression.
Pforzheim’s Jewellery Museum houses an exquisite collection of this jewellery type from all epochs and eras. A selection of 100 superlative specimens will be illustrating the wide spectrum of a theme that is far from having been exhausted.
Opening hours: 10.00 - 17.00 (Closed Mondays)
Admission: €3
http://195.60.187.72/download/SMP_Exhib ... me2015.pdf