Exhibition at DIVA museum reveals the intimate world behind the jewellery of the first Belgian queen
From 9 October 2026 to 11 April 2027
From 9 October, artist Charlotte Vanhoubroeck brings the lost jewellery of the first Belgian queen back to life. The exhibition Inspired by Queen Louise-Marie. Jewellery by Charlotte Vanhoubroeck presents contemporary creations that cast a new light on the inner world of Louise-Marie of Orléans (1812-1850).
The Belgian queen Louise-Marie owned around a hundred sentimental jewels. Not ordinary pieces, but jewels with miniature portraits, locks of hair, inscriptions and symbolic motifs. This was her way of keeping the memory of loved ones close to her. They show how the queen remembered her dead son. They speak of the uncertain love between her and King Leopold I. They even reveal who her best friend was. Almost none of her jewellery survived, only their descriptions in an inventory.
The exhibition at the DIVA museum shows the original inventory, put together shortly after Louise-Marie’s death. All her personal belongings are carefully numbered, described and valued. Her jewellery has its place there as well: mainly gold brooches, rings, bracelets and earrings with gemstones.
Image on top: Charlotte Vanhoubroeck - Foto Simon Debbaut-L'Ecluse
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