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| Colonial Order of the Star of Italy Plaque and Sign of Great Cross. Photo by Martina Pace |
By Maria Ling, Jewelry News Network Assistant Editor
The Museo del Gioiello in Vicenza, Italy, will hold a temporary exhibition focusing on jewels presented as honors in Italy, other European countries and even other world regions, a practice that stretched from the Middle Ages to modern times. Titled “Dames and Knights. Jewels of Honors,” it opens to the public Wednesday, March 24 and runs till September 17. An opening reception will be held March 23.
The items are curated to celebrate this artistic genre as a subject worth noting due to its quality, origin and proof of the history of different countries and geographical areas.
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| Order of the Crown Knight with spade. Photo by Martina Pace |
The temporary exhibition on the ground floor of the jewelry museum is arranged in two sections. The first will display about 40 Knighthood honors and decorations selected from pre-eminent and rare collections around the world.
In addition, 10 items pay tribute to the collection of former Italian Prime Minister Giovanni Giolitti, which were given to him by royal and government leaders.
Included in the display are honorary decorations that serve as symbols of Italian history. including: the Order of St. Maurice and St. Lazarus, the Insignia of the Grand Cross, the Collar of Our Lady of the Annunciation, the Grand Collar of St. George and the Colonial Order of the Star of Italy's Grand Cross.
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| Constantinian Order of St. George. Photo by Martina Pace |
A second section dedicated to Dames has about 10 items, including the Legion of Honor's Insignia of Knighthood and Insignia of the Ordo Supremus Militaris Templi Hierosolymitani.
The itinerary takes a visitor on a journey through time and honorary decoration culture with provides explanations of their intrinsic and evocative meanings. It serves as a piece of Italian and European history that recalls a value that was handed down through the years with the aim of rewarding praiseworthy actions in the fields of literature, arts and economy and for commitment in carrying out public duties and activities for social, philanthropic and humanitarian purposes as well as for long-standing and remarkable services in civil and military careers.
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| Order of the National Merit of Civil Division. Photo by Martina Pace |
Insignia, decorations and medals that date back to the 11th century with Knighthood honors bestowed purely on men who highly distinguished themselves, a usage that was extended to women in 1662.
The exhibition will also be presenting about ten creations by G.B. Ballarino, a goldsmith from a company with a long tradition in the field of honorary decorations, authorized to raise the arms of the Royal House of Savoy and the Royal House of Bulgaria with the inscription “fornitore della Real Casa” (Royal House supplier) through gold, enamel and precious stone cross pendants.
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| Order of Danilo I of Montenegro. Photo by Martina Pace |
The museum, the first in Italy and one of a few in the world dedicated to jewelry, is located inside the Basilica Palladiana and is managed by Italian Exhibition Group S.p.A. (IEG)—the trade show company generated by a merger between Rimini Fiera and Fiera di Vicenza—in partnership with Vicenza Municipal Council.
The museum is the result of IEG’s commitment to promoting the universal culture of Italian gold and jewelry, a sector in which it is well known as a global Business Hub thanks to the VicenzaOro international jewelry trade show.
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| Royal Order of Cambodia. Photo by Martina Pace |
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