A dazzling journey through the decorative arts: from the hand-crafted luxuries of the Renaissance to the first stirrings of mass commerce in the Enlightenment.
Each of the 300 beautiful and engaging objects on display was once a treasured possession, revealing the personal tastes and aspirations of its owner, and preserving precious memories. Taken together, they offer a fascinating insight into our changing relationship with the things that we wear on our bodies and keep in our homes.
To see these objects is to witness the impact of global trade on European tastes: the lust for goods imported from the East, the revolutions caused by New World products like chocolate and sugar. European shoppers were lured by dazzling colours, intricate designs, constant technological innovation and the glamour of the exotic.
The exhibition invites you back to the markets, bazaars and workshops of the past. From exquisite silks, silverware, jewels and porcelains, via shoes, armour and embroideries, to snuffboxes, fans, pocket-watches and tiny keepsakes, Treasured Possessions sets astounding and bizarre items alongside objects that we still use every day.