An extraordinary exhibition in Bruges -
Bruggemuseum-Gruuthuse

September 2006 to February 2007


Geloof en Geluk. 'de middeleeuwse pin: laat u (n)iets op de mouw spelden'
‘Belief and Happiness: the medieval pin, something up your sleeve’ - Literally this translates as ‘allow nothing / anything to be pinned on your sleeve, a Dutch saying meaning ‘do not let anyone fool you’
In the Middle Ages pins to wear on clothing were very important. Priests, knights, merchants… everyone from emperor to beggar pinned badges on their garments. These ancient badges indicated just who the wearer was, were amulets for protection, and touched the heart of the medieval person’s belief and happiness. The most fervent collectors of these symbolic pieces were pilgrims, going, as it were, from badge to badge. This exhibition brought together many of these small items – all found or made in Flanders – and placed them in what can be called a dialogue with unique paintings, miniatures, utensils, and statues of saints, giving an exciting and fascinating view of the everyday life of late medieval times. Laat je (n)iets op de mouw spelden: - don’t be fooled, the Middle Ages were not as pious as would appear from some of the art works of the times, and without a trace of shame or embarrassment displayed badges that could easily bring a blush to the cheek. The imposing mansion that houses Bruggemuseum-Gruuthuse museum provided the ideal background for this stimulating exhibition that spoke to the pilgrim in all of us.

Text from the press release, 21st September 2006 - Bruggemuseum Gruuthuse


Pins avant-la-lettre
The present day use of buttons, logos, and trademarks was already a common practice in the late Middle Ages in the form of badges pinned to clothing. Everyone from emperor to beggar wore such badges. These insignia indicated just who the wearer was, were amulets for protection, and touched the heart of the medieval person’s belief and happiness. The exhibition GELOOF & GELUK [Faith & Fortune] showed this late medieval form of decoration in a broad cultural historical setting.

Bringing archeology out from underground
Today a great many badges are found during archeological digs. The exhibition revealed the significance of this first mass-produced product, uncovering the use of these ‘trifles’. GELOOF & GELUK [Faith & Fortune] was set up as a sort of ‘above ground’ archeology, a point at which archeology, art history, and cultural history meet. The exhibition GELOOF & GELUK [Faith & Fortune] brought medieval pins and badges - all made or found in Flanders - into dialogue with paintings, miniatures, utensils, and statues of saints, bringing forth unexpected confrontations.


The end of an illusion
Generally speaking, the badges confirmed accepted views and added extra significance to these, but while paintings, illustrations, and statues gave the most exalted view of the subjects, some of the badges put paid to the illusion of the ‘pious Middle Ages’, sometimes in the most unambiguous way. GELOOF & GELUK [Faith & Fortune] had up its sleeve a series of erotic insignia that left nothing at all to the imagination, such as a pin depicting a phallus being roasted on a spit. The contrast between light and dark, between the exalted and the quotidian in the Late Middle Ages, and in how these were regarded, was laid bare, adding to the sum of our knowledge of the Middle Ages.

Pilgrimage
Pilgrims were the most fervent collectors of items of symbolic piety. They travelled from place to place, but also from badge to badge: it is as if the badges make a sort of travel diary. Pilgrimage was given a special position in GELOOF & GELUK [Faith & Fortune].

Guest curator
The concept and presentation of the exhibition was in the hands of Prof. Dr. Jos Koldeweij, professor of medieval art history at Radboud University, Nijmegen. Lit: Koldeweij, Jos, GELOOF & GELUK. Sieraad en devotie in middeleeuws Vlaanderen. Terra Lannoo BV, Arnhem 2006