CORNUCOPIA

Luxury and the Transylvanian nobility

The event stands under the sign of luxury and abundance, bringing together the most spectacular costumes and ornaments from the premodern collection in our museum.
In our journey through the secrets of fashion, we have chosen to tell the story of the objects that reflect the brilliance of the noble world in Transylvania, from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century, and not that of the great personalities who wore them. Unlike other objects belonging to visual culture, the garments and ornaments are a special category, which by their nature brings us closer to the man as an individual, and makes an easier connection between private and social. Fashion is and has been differentiating individuals, a mirror of social and cultural contrasts, but also a brand of identity.
Luxury in general and luxurious costumes in particular, was the benefit of wealthy people.
Then, as now, luxury meant quality of execution, uniqueness, and individualization of the object according to the needs and desires of the commissioner. The exigencies of the social status were applied beyond the borders of fashion, up to functional objects.
The Transylvanian nobility was no less pretentious than the European one, and willing to spend small fortunes to satisfy their vanity. The aristocrats preferred the most spectacular materials like brocades, silks, embroideries, ivory, precious stones and gold, most ingeniously crafted.
Although we have exhibited nearly two hundred objects, we urge you to look carefully at each piece; in this case the details of execution, the association of noble essences and the chromatic harmony are the ones that make the difference.