Gold is an
element, present in all the collections of the National Museum of Slovenia.
That is why we chose this precious metal as the topic of the central exhibition
on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the museum.
Gold is one
of the most valuable materials, used in the past to make the most important and
precious objects that embodied the power, reputation and high social standing
of the owner and reflected his or her wealth. However, these are not the only
characteristics of this unique element. Gold has a symbolic meaning, expressing
certain values in the metaphorical sense. Materialised by objects and stories,
these values are part of the exhibition.
Objects
made of gold (or decorated with gold), which emphasises their value, can be
directly or indirectly linked to major milestones, events and personalities
from Slovenian history. On the symbolic level, they can be used as the common
(“golden”) thread, signifying the long tradition of the area, which, with its
language and culture, later became the territory of the Slovenian nation.
The central
exhibition in the National Museum of Slovenia presents four important segments that are represented by gold on the material and the symbolic
level: Power and Authority, Church and Sacrality, Honour and Glory, and Wealth and Luxury. Each of
the segments tells a part of the story, completed by the introductory and the
final part. In the beginning, the visitors will learn about this very special
element and its properties, and in the final part they will learn about the
numerous connotations of gold at the symbolic level.
The exhibition features objects from the
collections of the National Museum of Slovenia, as well as objects from the
collections of Slovenian museums, which gladly accepted the invitation to
participate in the exhibition. The 200th anniversary is not only a
golden anniversary of the National Museum of Slovenia as the successor of the Provincial
Museum of Carniola, but a celebration of all the Slovenian museums that
preserve the heritage of the Slovenian nation and the Slovenians.