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general view of the exhibition
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A visit to the Museum Volkenkunde in Leiden in 2012 offered me a nice surprise in the
form of a small exhibit about "Contemporary Indian Jewelry". The museum was going
under huge renovation and was due to re-opened in fall of 2012, therefore the
collections/exhibitions on display and amount of spaces open to public were limited,
but enough to give a visitor a good idea of what the museum can offer.
The exhibit is the part of the museum currently open to public, in the main room
dedicated to Asia but in a small space, which is not a problem to offer some substantial
museum about Indian traditions, and has conceived the show after two field trips to
several regions in India: Rajasthan (Bikaner and Jaipur) to study the work of goldsmiths.
After the trips, her findings added some new pieces into the museum's collection.
I found the exhibit very appealing, condensed and well presented both in terms of
pieces and layout, though the cases where the pieces were shown had too many
reflects and the quality of craftsmanship was at times difficult to be appreciated.
Panels, labels and audiovisuals were instructive, as well as the walls covered by
photos and images (we must guess from the researcher's travels?) and local
iconography. That was a touch of artistic connection between the pieces shown and
the anthropological vision, as a complete immersion into some aspects of Indian culture.
The catalogue contains good visual documentation, but (as informed from the museum's
desk) it has only been published in Dutch, which from a quick reading is a pity for it
surely contains valuable information that would allow to better understand the content
of the exhibition.
Images of some of the pieces on display:
