Room of Status

This is a tactile object. You may touch it.

In front of you lies a replica of a ‘fibula’ or cloak pin. The original one once belonged to the ‘princess of Zweeloo’. Feel free to touch this replica and discover all the details of its rich decorations! It’s made of bronze and has the shape of a butterfly. The pin is about 11 by 7 centimetres. The long, upright wings of the butterfly are decorated with elegant scrolls. The small holes in the edges of both wings were deliberately created when this fibula was cast. 

In the middle, the wings are connected with an arch-shaped bridge-like piece of bronze. On the backside of one wing there is a tiny tube and on the other there is a small ringlet. These served to hold the pin with which the fibula could be attached to the cloth. As the name suggests, cloak pins were used to hold the cloth of a dress or a cloak together. 

The original gilded cloak pin in the central display case was found in a grave near the village of Zweeloo, together with all kinds of other jewellery, silver toiletries and shards of earthenware pots. The items show that the woman in the grave must have been important. That is why she was given the name Princess of Zweeloo.

The jewel was made in the Middle Ages and originates from Northern Germany, which may indicate that the Princess of Zweeloo had contacts in that area.

 

My darling guests! Thank you so much for having come all this way. May tonight be a night of laughter, animated conversations and flowing wine, and may we treasure its memory in our hearts forever. After all, we are celebrating a unique event. My beloved nephew has found love. As some of you know, he is like a son to me. Bestowed rather than begotten. In my life, I have decided to rely on my own strengths, free from wedlock, which makes me appreciate the love shared by others even more. My nephew has proposed to an honourable woman, and she has accepted. There they are, at the head of the table, a future husband and wife. Beaming with dreams. Let us look at you and raise our glasses! There’s nothing more important than the bond between families and friends.

When two lovers of this standing join in matrimony, their riches seem boundless. They receive many gifts, and the joining of two families will double their combined estate. But before we open the banquet, allow me to share a few words of wisdom about our customs and the riches we are surrounded by. Don't get blinded by their splendour. Beware of greed! This is why we pass these riches on during celebrations and important events. The greatest value of gems and amulets is to be found in their endless magical properties and their spiritual power, and that’s what we want to share with you.

See this string of beads here? It used to belong to my mother. Every morning when I put the string of beads on, I am reminded of her, of the things she said, of who she was. Jewellery can keep memories alive. It can help us remember our ancestors. Jewellery even has the power to heal us as a person. The simple act of wearing it can protect us from evil. But we can also choose to gift jewellery to higher powers when we need their help or when expressing our gratitude. I will never forget my astonishment when I, as a young girl, first saw a gold treasure being sacrificed in the water. I was aghast! Something so valuable, gone forever! Only later on did I realise... When you gift something, it is never truly gone. Instead, it connects the giver and receiver for all eternity.

Jewellery also represents a pledge of loyalty, through which we show our place in the world and who we belong to. I wish to offer the bride a gift from us, the family she will now be part of. May this gilded saucer brooch and this string of beads, together with the keys to her new home, act as a tangible reminder of the family that will support her from now on. However, no precious jewel could ever outshine the light of happiness in your eyes. 

Let us eat! I want to invite all of our guests to join in the festivities, and to experience first-hand what these riches mean in practice. 

This is a core object. You can listen to information here. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to touch this object.

This display case contains all the objects found in the grave of the Princess of Zweeloo. The beads on one of the strings are made of amber and coloured glass, separated by bronze rings. It dates back to the Middle Ages, is 57 centimetres long and is meant to be worn around the waist.

The string consists of 31 beads, all of them unique and different in shape and size. Some are beautifully round, others have a more irregular shape. In between all the beads are small bronze rings that also differ in size. Many of the beads are decorated with patterns, in white, turquoise, yellow, red and black. Two of these colours are used on most of the beads. Waves, zigzag lines, circles, or curved lines, each pattern on each bead is unique. All in all, it forms a colourful whole.