Gold over black
Gold in front of black was the first temporary exhibition presented by the Essen Ruhr Museum in the former coal washing plant of the Zeche Zollverein world heritage site . The exhibition from October 20, 2008 to February 8, 2009 showed for the first time the entire Essen cathedral treasury outside the Essen cathedral treasury, supplemented by loans on the history of the monastery. The exhibition at Zeche Zollverein was made possible by the fact that the Essen Cathedral Treasury was expanded and the exposure to vibrations and dirt associated with the construction work made it necessary to move the treasures away.
The exhibition
The exhibition covered the entire contents of the Essen Cathedral Treasury, including some treasures that had previously been stored in the depot, such as the historic Altfrid shrine or statues of the baroque furnishings of the Essen Minster . Numerous pieces, such as the altar panels by Barthel Bruyn , had been restored especially for the exhibition. Among the additional loans, the so-called testament of Abbess Theophanu , the founding deed of the foundation that was created around 1090 as a forgery and the deed of the election of Abbess Beatrix von Holte stood out. Of the significant pieces that are assigned to the cathedral treasury, only the Golden Madonna and the seven-armed chandelier remained in their places in the Essen Minster because of their ongoing liturgical use.
The exhibition was initially planned to run until January 8, 2009, but due to the large number of visitors and delays in the construction of the expansion of the cathedral treasury, the exhibition was extended to February 8. However, between January 11th and January 13th the exhibition had to be closed due to a burst water pipe which did not damage any of the exhibits, but which led to an unfavorable indoor climate in terms of conservation. A total of 40,000 visitors made the exhibition a successful start for the Ruhrmuseum.
The exhibition was accompanied by a series of lectures and supplemented by a museum educational program. The exhibition catalog is the most comprehensive individual publication on the entire treasure trove since Georg Humann's work, which appeared in 1904 .
literature
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Birgitta Falk (Ed.): Gold before black. The Essen Cathedral Treasure at Zollverein . Klartext Verlag, Essen 2008, ISBN 978-3-8375-0050-9 (catalog for the exhibition of the same name, Ruhr Museum, October 20, 2008 to January 11, 2009).
- identical to the catalog of the cathedral treasure: Birgitta Falk (ed.): Der Essener Domschatz . Klartext Verlag, Essen 2009, ISBN 978-3-8375-0200-8 .
