Tsars and Knights: The Romanovs’ Love Affair with the Middle Ages




Photo by Moniek Bloks

It is one the Hermitage Amsterdam’s longest awaited exhibitions – not in the least because the museum had to close due to the Coronavirus measures. The opening day finally came on 19 November.

Tsars and Knights: The Romanovs’ Love Affair with the Middle Ages has over 250 items from several collections. Grand harnesses and knights line the first room you enter. From a gift given by Alexandra Feodorovna to her husband Tsar Nicholas I of Russia to one worn by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Don’t miss the Tsarkoe Selo Carousel painting which portrays Alexandra Feodorovna as a medieval maiden before heading off into the medieval Bazilevski collection, acquired by Tsar Alexander III in 1884. The Courtly Love theme is highlighted by the Roman de la Rosa manuscript and head upstairs to find some Dutch treasures as well.

I found the exhibition quite enjoyable, despite the fact that it isn’t entirely my area of expertise! You can see that they’ve put a lot of hard work into it and it sure looks like it will be enjoyable for children as well. I do wish they had done a little more with merchandising and such!

The exhibition will run until 31 July 2021. Hopefully, by then, even tourists will be able to visit Amsterdam again!

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About Moniek Bloks 2681 Articles
My name is Moniek and I am from the Netherlands. I began this website in 2013 because I wanted to share these women's amazing stories.

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