Gold and Silversmithing

Gold and silverware were important for the Transylvanian economy and export business. Especially in the 16th and 17th century, goldsmithing products from Transylvania were in high demand as gifts of honour. The rich gold mines, above all in the Western Carpathian Mountains, were an asset and beneficial for this trade.

The museum’s silver collection started with jewellery worn with festive costumes. This mainly includes the clasp belt and the “Heftel” (a type of round brooch that is worn on the chest). Regarding the jewellery of the middle-class, the belts are particularly worth mentioning, which were decorated with filigree gilded silver plates, pearls and gems.

Since 1991, the museum’s collection has been extended with valuable goldsmithing works originating from the 16th to 18th century. This includes a huge selection of tankards or pedestal cups, which were partly gilded, gilded pitchers with opulently embossed decorations and lids with plastic crest ornaments, coffee pots, sugar bowls, a grandiose clock in the form of a vase originating from 1600, a wedding bowl decorated with inlaid coins and much more. Also exhibited are liturgical objects from the period before and after the Reformation (patens, baptism devices, Eucharistic chalices, candle holders, etc.).