Jewellery artist and art historian Charlotte Vanhoubroeck makes new jewellery for Louise-Marie of Orléans, the first Belgian queen. Almost none of her jewellery survives, only descriptions in an inventory. Not copies, but contemporary creations that bring the emotional world of a forgotten woman back to life.
What a jewel can hold
The Belgian queen Louise-Marie owned around a hundred sentimental jewels. Not ordinary pieces, but miniature portraits, locks of hair, inscriptions and symbolic motifs. This was her way of keeping the memory of loved ones close. They show how the queen remembered her dead son. They speak of the uncertain love between her and King Leopold I. They even reveal who her best friend was.
The original inventory
The exhibition shows the original inventory, drawn up shortly after Louise-Marie's death. All her personal belongings are carefully numbered, described and valued. Her jewellery has its place there too: mainly gold brooches, rings, bracelets and earrings, set with gemstones.
Jewellery artist and art historian Charlotte Vanhoubroeck does not reconstruct the lost jewels. Instead, she gives new form to the feelings held within them. Her contemporary creations enter into dialogue with historical jewels and objects. You come to know Louise-Marie as queen, daughter, mother, lover and friend.
An exhibition about loss and memory, and about how a jewel can hold an entire life.
