Treasures of Heaven: British Museum displays the sacred relics of Medieval Chistendom

The British Museum has opened its latest Block Buster Exhibition entitled 'Treasures of Heaven' which is on display from 23rd of June until the 9th of October 2011 and will encompass for the first time, more than 150 objects of reverie and reliquary loaned from renowned world-wide institutions here in Europe and the U.S.

The website, which is prolific in its exhibition information for this event, describes the exhibition;

Treasures of Heaven

Saints, relics and devotion
in medieval Europe

This major exhibition brings together for the first time some of the
finest sacred treasures of the medieval age.

The exhibition features over 150 objects from more than 40 institutions including the Vatican, European church treasuries, museums from the USA and Europe and the British Museum’s own pre-eminent collection.

Where heaven and earth meet

It was during the medieval period that the use of relics in devotional practice first developed and became a central part of Christian worship. For many, the relics of Christ and the saints – objects associated with them, such as body parts or possessions – continue to provide a bridge between heaven and earth today.

Sacred containers

Relics were usually set into ornate containers of silver and gold known as reliquaries, opulently decorated by the finest craftsmen of the age. They had spiritual and symbolic value that reflected the importance of their sacred contents.

Over a thousand years of history

The earliest items date from the late Roman period and trace the evolution of the cult of the saints from the 4th century to the peak of relic veneration in late medieval Europe.

Relics featured in the exhibition include three thorns thought to be from the Crown of Thorns, fragments of the True Cross, the foot of St Blaise, the breast milk of the Virgin Mary, the hair of St John the Evangelist, and the Mandylion of Edessa (one of the earliest known likenesses of Jesus).

Witness a lost heritage

Treasures such as these have not been seen in significant numbers in the UK since the Reformation in the 16th century, which saw the wholesale destruction of saints’ shrines. The exhibition offers a rare opportunity to glimpse the heritage of beautiful medieval craftsmanship that was lost to this country for centuries.

The eclectic website includes a blog where you can follow the behind the scenes progress from curator James Robinson and his team, a multi-media presentation, an online book shop and ticket booking service, excerpts from the exhibition catalogue which are free to download and additionally there are links to networking sites such as twitter and Facebook.

All this pre-exhibition information that is available for the visitor seems to verify the latest developments in the management of 'the block buster' exhibition trend for eminent Museums and Galleries. It seems they are trying to turn the tide of 'Gallery Rage' experienced by a visitor who is often bustled into an exhibit where viewing is limited and of short duration due to the numbers of other visitors all crowding in.

As we saw with the National Gallery's preparation for the forthcoming Leonardo Da Vinci exhibition, it seems the more information and context the institution can provide to the the avid voyeur before their visit, the better their exhibition experience will become. Although the British Museum has not mentioned any restrictions on numbers allowed into the exhibition space at any one time, as the National Gallery have done, the hope seems to be that equipped with as much information about the objects and artefacts as possible, a visitor to the British Museum will enjoy a greater sense of the display and less a sense of being herded through a money making show.

After being open for a week, it seems that not only art lovers have been flocking to see these rare insights into the Medieval religious mind. Religious visitors too, are flocking to see the exhibition with one member of staff describing himself as being; "knee deep in archbishops".

http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/treasures_of_heaven.aspx

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2011/jun/30/treasures-of-heaven-kiss-relics?INTCMP=SRCH

http://blog.britishmuseum.org/category/exhibitions/treasures-of-heaven/

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/devotion-by-design

http://www.learn.columbia.edu/treasuresofheaven/relics/Arm-Reliquary-of-the-Apostles.php

http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/exhibitions/treasures_of_heaven/introduction.aspx

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/gallery/2011/jun/20/treasures-of-heaven-british-museum-in-pictures

http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2011/jun/28/british-museum-top-attraction