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Exhibition “SEVENTEEN CENTURIES OF THE BOHEMIAN GARNET” |
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Sacred relics of the Czech people and jewel articles of Ulrika von Levetzov, Goethe's lady-love, at the Exhibition "SEVENTEEN CENTURIES OF THE BOHEMIAN GARNET" in the Russian Museum of Ethnography.
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The exhibition “SEVENTEEN CENTURIES OF THE BOHEMIAN GARNET”
The exhibition "SEVENTEEN CENTURIES OF THE BOHEMIAN GARNET" from the collection of the National Museum of Czechia was opened in the Russian Museum of Ethnography on the 11th of February.
On display at the exhibition are 300 objects of jewelry and Christian relics decorated with a special kind of precious stone - "Bohemian garnet" from the collection of the National Museum of Czechia. According to the curators of this project, such a large exhibition of garnet is organized abroad for the first time.
The National Museum was permitted as a special privilege and specially for the exhibition "Seventeen centuries of the Bohemian garnet" to take out of the country and show in St. Petersburg several sacred relics; one of them is Ostensorium from St. Nickolas Cathedral in Prague. It is made by craftsman Yan Melihar Shick in the shape of the sun with divergent sunrays and decorated with 380 Bohemian garnets, 19 diamonds and 135 crystal grains. It is the largest object at the exhibition (one metre in height).
The gem of the exhibition as well of the whole collection of the National Museum, according to Mr. Karel Ksandr, are a sheath and a belt decorated with Bohemian garnet. They were found during archeological excavations of the burial place of a German warrior in Moravia and date back to the 5th century. Also of great interest are two artifacts: "Crutch of St. Knigur" from Saint Vitus Cathedral, and the "Breviary" dated from 1695 which still belongs to the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin.
The exhibition also represents the jewelry of Ulrika von Levetzov, Goethe's last lady-love: a brooch with monogram and crown of Austro-Hungary from the collection of Emperor Franz Josef and four ornaments bought in a Jewelry shop in Nevsky prospect at the beginning of the 20th century, together with the cases in which these items were stored and the logo of the shop.
Bohemian garnet is a variety of garnet of volcanic origin. Its small dark-red grains are distinguished by their special brilliance, high quality and exceptional purity. Since ancient times this stone could be found only on the territory of Czechia. Empress Maria-Teresia prohibited exporting raw stones beyond the borders of the country.
Since the day of its foundation in 1818, the National Museum in Prague had assembled the collection which contains now over 900 articles with Bohemian garnet. It includes not only jewelry, but also fancy goods, numismatics, tableware and items of folk craftsmanship. The whole holdings of the National Museum of Czechia count 20 million exhibits.
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