During the Hellenistic period, that followed the conquests of Alexander the Great, the art of jewellery-making attained its zenith.

What messages did the iconography of the jewellery of this era convey? What kinds of jewellery did members of the aristocracy prefer? How were brides bedecked before the wedding ceremony? Which pieces of jewellery accompanied the adult dead and which those who had departed prematurely? How were these exquisite specimens of the ancient goldsmith’s art made? Can the Hellenistic tradition inspire contemporary creators?

These and many more questions are explored in the exhibition ‘Art in Gold: Jewellery in Hellenistic Times’. With the participation of 30 museums and Ephorates of Antiquities in Greece and five international museums, it presents unique assemblages of gold jewellery of the Hellenistic period (323–30 BC). Among them is a large part of the elaborate pieces of jewellery from the ‘Thessaly / Karpenisi Hoard’, which is shared between the National Archaeological Museum in Athens and the Benaki Museum. Second-century BC goldsmith’s tools found in Bosnia-Herzegovina will be exhibited for the first time in Greece, while informative texts and graphics, as well as videos and animations relating to the basic techniques of jewellery making will accompany the exhibition. A video showing contemporary jewellery maker and researcher of ancient techniques, Akis Goumas, reconstructing parts of a precious diadem in the Benaki Museum – the result of several years of research and experimentation – will be screened in a dedicated room.

Contemporary creations by Peter Bauhuis, Akis Goumas, Patrick Davison, Pura Ferreiro, Anastasia Kandaraki, Lucia Massei, Dimitris Nikolaidis, and Despina Pantazopoulou, inspired by items of jewellery at the Benaki Museum, will be exhibited alongside the antiquities.

The exhibition “Art in gold. Jewellery in Hellenistic times” is part of the Action “The Collections of the Benaki Museum and Contemporary Design” of the Program “Attiki”, Partnership Agreement 2021-2027, and is co-funded by the European Union.