Diva, a Brilliant Story
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DIVA, A BRILLIANT STORY Visitor’s guide: six rooms, six stories Kindly return this guide at the end of your visit. It can be accessed online at divaantwerp.be. The illustrated book Brilliant Stories takes a more detailed look at DIVA. INTRODUCTION Introduction Diamonds have been associated with Antwerp for centuries. Ground floor Six themes and 14 key pieces from DIVA’s collection provide Scan your ticket here the framework for the diamond story which DIVA tells in her own inimitable way. This visitor’s guide describes each of the 607 objects on display in the six rooms. Visitor’s guide DIVA Visitor’s Experience DIVA! Highlights ≥ You might like to listen to the fictitious audio stories, recorded by theatre If you are short of time, you can Shop and film director Frank Van Laecke, follow the highlight tour, marked and follow DIVA’s butler. These sound on the plan with the following star recordings are marked on the plan with symbol. the diamond symbol. If you just read the boxed ≥ The butler’s introductory stories information, you can do the tour in automatically play as you enter each 45 minutes. new room. Or you can point the device at the butler symbol and click to activate the stories. ≥ Factual information can be accessed interactively where you see the headset symbol. Diamond (fictitious audio stories) Butler (introductory stories) Headset (factual information) Entrance 2 3 DIVA’S ROOM OF WONDER: 15 COLLECTING AND INSPIRING 16 DIVA’s Room of Wonder DIVA’s 13 Experience DIVA’s Room of Wonder During the sixteenth and the beginning of the seventeenth 17 century Antwerp was a global ≥ Listen to fictitious stories about seven centre for the production of luxury key pieces or consult the historical facts goods. on the tablet in the bench. ≥ The screens with a red frame contain Rooms of Wonder, cabinets of contextual information and illustrations. curiosities and rarities, were very popular in Antwerp during the guide DIVA Visitor’s ≥ Touch the large screen to meet several Golden Age. This contemporary Antwerp collectors and discover their interpretation of a Wunderkammer collections. Or zoom in on the jewellery brings together in a cocoon of in the portraits. luxury valuable objects from every ≥ You can also put together your own corner of the globe. 14 collection in the cabinet next to the 11 elevator. 12 9 6 8 10 7 5 1 4 3 2 4 5 1 2 The Golden Age antechamber During the sixteenth century Antwerp grew Room of Wonder DIVA’s into one of the most important economic and artistic centres in Europe. The city on 2 the Scheldt became a true metropolis, a 1 meeting place for merchants and goods 17 from all over the world. This international trade was the driving force behind the production of art and luxury products. 10 Despite political and religious conflicts 4-9 and the fall of the city in 1585, Antwerp 3 guide DIVA Visitor’s remained a prime producer and distributor 11-15 of luxury items until the mid-seventeenth century. Not only did the nobility collect all kinds of precious items, prominent citizens 16 such as magistrates, city officials, rich merchants, artists and artisans did too. Their collections were of an encyclopaedic nature, comprising art, jewellery, natural and exotic objects, and scientific instruments. It was their way of acquiring knowledge, which they then shared by showing their rare objects to each other. 1 Mirror frame 4 Golden hairpin Southern Netherlands, 2nd half 16th Northern Netherlands, late 16th - early Flora (reproduction) century 17th century Jan Matsys, 1559 Collection DIVA, S88/1 Collection Smidt van Gelder, Sm.0589 Collection Hamburger Kunsthalle Bpk-Bildagentur / photo: Elke Walford 2 Jewellery case 5 Golden ring with table-cut ruby Antwerp, 1576 Southern Netherlands, 17th century Collection DIVA, S59/2 Collection DIVA, S68/21 3 Textile fragment from the Mayer Van 6 Golden ring with point-cut diamond den Bergh collection Western Europe, 15th century Because of the rarity and fragility Collection DIVA, DMK01/14 of the fragments, they are not all on Until the second half of the eighteenth display at once, but alternate: century, India and Borneo were the only • Brocaded lancé taffeta, two sources of diamond imports. probably Italy, ca. 1600 The pointed diamond is the earliest • Lancé rep, Italy, known cut. It retains the natural shape 2nd half 16th century of the diamond. • Gold braid, 16th-17th century Precious metals were also worked into textiles to make them even more sumptuous. 6 7 8 Silver hairpin 17 Art Gallery (reproduction) 1 Jug with tulip motif Highlight 1: Southern Netherlands, ca. 1610-1620 Frans II Francken, Antwerp, 1619 Westerwald, ca. 1635-1700 Owl cup (no. 10) Collection DIVA, S2009/6 Collection KMSKA Collection DIVA, S91/39 Lukas-Art in Flanders / photo: Hugo 9 Golden hairpin Maertens 2 Brooch with rose-cut diamonds and Owl cups – so called because of Room of Wonder DIVA’s Southern Netherlands, ca. 1610 The culture of collecting in Antwerp enamel their shape – were highly prized Collection DIVA, S2009/7 gave rise to gallery paintings, which Western Europe, 1640-1660 in the Netherlands and German- Hairpins were worn stuck in the hair depicted an elegant room filled Collection Saint Willibrord Church speaking areas during the sixteenth on the forehead or next to the ears, with artworks and curiosities, Antwerp, in storage at DIVA, B503/4 and seventeenth centuries. This often with a precious pearl from typically examined and discussed by Read the factual story about this key owl cup is the oldest known Ceylon or India attached to them. connoisseurs. Antwerp painters played piece in the tablet in the bench. specimen with Antwerp marks. This specimen was found during a crucial role in the development It is made from a hollowed-out excavations in Antwerp. of this genre. One of them, Frans II 3 Bow-shaped pendant with rose-cut coconut mounted in silver. When Francken, invented the Preziosenwand, diamonds this cup was made, Antwerp was 10 Silver owl cup or encyclopedic still life a sub-genre in Last quarter 17th century an international trading centre. guide DIVA Visitor’s Master with pelican, Antwerp, 1548- which the collected objects are given Collection de Breyne Portuguese traders shipped exotic 1549 pride of place in the foreground. curiosities like coconuts, nautilus Collection King Baudouin Foundation, 4 Rosette ring with rose-cut diamonds shells and ostrich eggs to Western in storage at DIVA, B512/1 and enamel Europe from Africa, India and Presumably France, 2nd half 17th America, usually through the port 3 11 Saint John figurine and Our Lady century of Antwerp. Coconuts were prized figurine Collection de Breyne for their purported medicinal Mechelen, ca. 1530-1550 properties as well as their novelty Collection DIVA, S61/12b-c 5 Golden brooch in the shape of a value. It was also believed that rosette with rose-cut diamonds poison unwittingly drunk from a 12 Cabinet adorned with embroidery Ca. 1675 coconut cup was neutralized by the Antwerp, ca. 1650 Collection de Breyne exotic drupe. 6 Collection DIVA, S58/66 6 Flowers in a niche (reproduction) Engraved under the detachable 13 Commemorative medal of Luis de Osias Beert, 1580-1624 head of this Antwerp owl cup is the Requesens Collection KBC Antwerp, verse: “Als alle ander fogels sin thoe Anteo Lotello, 1576 Snijders&Rockoxhuis neste sois min flige beste”,which Collection DIVA, M731 translates as: “When all the other 2 7 Floral wreath around a medallion birds are in their nest, my flight is 1 14 Commemorative medal of Benedictus depicting the Madonna and Child and best.” Arias Montanus John the Baptist (reproduction) Jacques Jonghelinck, Antwerp, 1569 Jan Breughel II and Frans II Francken, Master with pelican, Antwerp, 1548- 7 Collection DIVA, M1446 ca. 1630 1549, Collection King Baudouin Private collection Foundation, in storage at DIVA, 15 Solidus and Emperor Arcadius B512/1 Byzantium, ca. 383-408 3 4 5 Collection DIVA, M1809 7 Silver hairpin 16 Silver wedding cutlery Master with crescent, Antwerp, 1625- 1st half 17th century 1626 Collection MAS, collection Applied Collection DIVA, S85/2 Arts and History (Vleeshuis), in storage at DIVA, B504/32 8 9 4 7 Golden necklace with 14 rosette- shaped links with table-cut diamonds and enamel Germany or Austria, late 16th century Collection de Breyne DIVA’s Room of Wonder DIVA’s 2 8 Landscape with the Flight into Egypt 3 (reproduction) 1 4 Joachim Patinir, 1516-1517 Collection KMSKA Lukas - Art in Flanders / photo: Hugo Maertens 9 The Rape of Europa (reproduction) 5 8 Abraham Govaerts en Frans II 6 Francken, 17th century guide DIVA Visitor’s Collection KMSKA 9 Lukas - Art in Flanders / photo: Hugo Maertens 7 1 Relief depicting the Resurrection of 5 Golden lion pendant with table- Christ cut diamonds, rubies, emeralds, Willem van den Broecke, Antwerp, sapphires, pearls and enamel ca. 1550-1575 Presumably Germany, late 16th Collection DIVA, S61/16 century Collection de Breyne 2 Plate with medallion of the archduke Gemstones, pearls and coral were Albrecht and archduchess Isabella incorporated into colourful, sculptural embossed pieces of jewellery. Pendants with Daniël Dor, Antwerp, ca. 1601 large, fanciful baroque pearls in the Collection DIVA, S59/15 shape of an animal were particular favourites. Design sketches were largely 3 Mars plate responsible for the spread of the style to François Briot, Neurenberg, ca. 1600 other European countries. Collection DIVA, S81/1 6 Golden pendant in the shape of a 4 Plate bearing the coat of arms of rosette with table-cut and rose-cut Charles V diamonds and enamel Nurenberg, ca. 1520-1550 Ca. 1625 Collection DIVA, S75/118 Collection de Breyne 10 11 5 6 DIVA’s Room of Wonder DIVA’s 2 1 5 1 3 4 2 4 3 Visitor’s guide DIVA Visitor’s 1 Gilded lobed cup 3 Gilded tazza with scene from the life 1 Silver cup 3 Guild chain of the Herenthout Saint Heinrich Straub, Nurenberg, 1608- of Mucius Scaevola Master with arrow, Antwerp, 1700- Sebastian Guild 1635 Anthoni Beijs or Gabriël II Dijck, 1725 Petrus Van Eesbeeck, Brussels, Collection MAS, collection Applied Antwerp, 1561-1562 Collection DIVA, S55/27 ca.