No
doubt jewelry immediately comes to mind when considering
dazzling and luxurious objects. Throughout history, jewels and
other personal adornments have served as symbols of status and
rank as well as marks of wealth and beauty. VMFA’s collections
are particularly rich in this area, with strong holdings from
Africa, Asia, pre-Columbian America, and Europe. A special
selection from the Kreuzer collection of art nouveau belt
buckles provides a rarified glimpse into a little known but
fascinating world of 19th-century craftsmanship.
Like jewelry, headgear such as hats, crowns, and tiaras are
symbols of status, wealth, and beauty. Artists from different
cultures and times have often used valuable materials to create
crowns and special headdresses for rulers, clerics, and other
dignitaries. Indeed, the crown is such a potent representation
of status and power that it sometimes appears as a decoration on
other crowns—as in the Yoruba one exhibited here.
