The special exhibition titled ‘Silver treasures from India and Denmark’ was inaugurated today i.e. on 27th February 2023, at the National Museum, New Delhi celebrating the rich silver legacy from India and Denmark.
The exhibition was inaugurated by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Denmark and Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess of Denmark, in the presence of Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture, Smt. Meenakashi Lekhi, Foreign Minister of Denmark His Excellency Lars Lokke Rasmusen and Director General National Museum & Joint Secretary, Culture Smt. Lily Pandeya.
While delivering a special message, Smt. Meenakashi Lekhi emphasised upon Indo-Danish friendship-“So far as the two countries are concerned, when one lloos at Denmark, one looks at a friend. I am sure the feeling exists in Danish minds and hearts that when you look at India, you look at a friend. And the two friendly nations which are bound by many ethos, many value systems, one of them being democracy, value for law and order as well as law abiding citizens, I think this goes a long way in having the common cultural heritage. Culture connects, culture is a very positive force because when you try and understand each other, even when one comes with certain hesitations, but those hesitations disappear and they melt away the moment you start to know the other person’s perspective on the same thing. And the understanding of the perspective gives us a new perspective, and the new amalgamation of ideas is usually positive. So winning hearts and not really winning lands is the pursuit which we all must have and with this winning of hearts we are exhibiting the silver treasures today”.
The exhibition is a melting pot for a diverse variety of Silver artworks from the two distinctive countries. It showcases more than 250 extraordinary silver objects segregated into five different themes that explores the craftsmanship and silversmith techniques of two countries from various aspects. This initiative paves way to display some of the rare pieces from the reserve collection of the National Museum, New Delhi, and as rightly mentioned by Mr. Rune Ottogreen Lundberg, Director of Museum Kolding, Denmark- ‘The exhibition marks a cultural milestone in the cooperation between India and Denmark. Culture creates a bridge where we can learn a lot from each other and gain insight into each other’s worlds, differences and similarities.
The exhibition is part of a cultural exchange programme, which continues until 2026 – so there is much to look forward to with exchanges in culture, crafts, music and literature.
The first contacts between India and Denmark were also about exchange – through trade. The exquisite Indian craftsmanship and beautiful textiles became a sought-after commodity in Europe and close links were established between our two countries through the exchange of goods. Here we share a common history”.
The inaugural event was attended by eminent guests and representatives from various embassies like the Embassy of Republic of Estonia, Embassy of Portugal, Embassy of Switzerland and several others. The event was followed by a special preview facilitated by the curatorial team of the exhibition, for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Denmark and Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess of Denmark. The curatorial walk covered objects from both, The National Museum, New Delhi and Museum Kolding Denmark.
The Director General Lily Pandeya led the delegation around the exhibition space and her welcome address focussed on the exhibition’s relevance today: ‘As nature blooms in spring; we join in, rejoicing and celebrating its beauty with the inaugural of this splendid exhibition ‘Bharat aivam Denmark ki Rajat Dharohar’ ‘Silver Treasures from India and Denmark’, a unique curatorial collaboration and cultural exchange between Museum Kolding, Denmark and the National Museum, India, showcasing the magnificent silver legacy of India and Denmark. Although separated by borders our transnational cultural endeavours, unite us as ‘one’, and resonate with the spirit of India’s G20 presidency (2023) ‘Vausudhaiva Kutumbakam’ ‘the world is one family’
Highlight objects include silver objects dating back to the Indus Valley Civilisation which include rare silver beads, coins dating back to the ancient and medieval India, Miniature idols, jewellery, smoking pipes, exclusively carved and enamelled itardaan (perfume bottle) and other decorative items from the collection of the National Museum New Delhi. While the Danish collection of Museum Kolding like the Bible cover in silver, spinning kettle, tankard depicting biblical stories, along with other exquisite pieces like perfume boxes, jewellery, cutlery presents an eclectic collection of silver from Indian & Denmark.
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