“HEILIG HART” (of the Silversmiths), 1990, Jan Matthesius. The Stichting Zilver In Beweging, founded in 1990, revitalized stalled design ideas about large silver objects and silverwork. This inspired Jan. Visitors can take some fine silver powder from the small dish in the center and apply it themselves, gradually silvering the red heart. Photographer: Stephan Tellier
New exhibition from 30 October 2025
Silver stimulates the senses in the new exhibition
‘Please Touch’
In the new exhibition ‘Please Touch,’ the Dutch Silver Museum challenges an age-old museum rule: ‘Do not touch.’ While museums today protect almost all their objects behind glass, ‘Please Touch’ invites visitors, in certain cases, to handle the works.
Preserving versus experiencing
Silver objects are delicate: fingerprints can cause permanent damage, and air pollution makes silver tarnish. Yet these very objects were originally made to be used. Showpieces passed from hand to hand at festive dinners, and religious items were touched in the hope of healing. Use left its marks: tangible reminders of human interaction.
‘Please Touch’ casts a critical light on the preservative nature of museums and raises questions about the relationship between touch, experience and meaning. Touch is a basic human need; from birth, a baby learns to rely on its senses for nourishment and development. The act of feeling can unlock memories or transport the mind to different times.
In the artwork ‘Pièces de milieu,’ Gésine Hackenberg uses the effect of silver tarnishing. The silver fruits and vegetables appear to decay, just like in real life. 2010, Collection of the Dutch Silver Museum.
Crown from 1815, used for the inauguration of King Willem I. It is the first royal crown of the Netherlands, marking the beginning of a new tradition. The crown clearly shows signs of use. Collection: Koninklijke Verzamelingen.
What touch does to you
The exhibition invites visitors, both literally and figuratively, to pause and consider what is lost when touch is absent. How heavy is a silver bowl? What does the surface of an ancient chalice feel like?
In addition to original objects from its own collection and other museums, the museum displays specially crafted replicas and new artworks, for example by the silversmiths Maja Houtman and Thalen & Thalen. Some of these are specifically intended to be touched, enhancing the value or experience of the object. There are also unique items that have changed over time due to contact with people, water, fire, or soil.
Visitors are invited to reflect on the impact and value of sensory contact in the museum for their personal experience.
The exhibition can be visited at the Dutch Silver Museum in Schoonhoven from 30 October 2025 through 13 September 2026. For more information, activities, and ticket prices, visit www.zilvermuseum.com. An audio tour is available.
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Former director Marcel Teheux curated the exhibition.
For interviews, please contact marketing@zilvermuseum.com 0182 385 612
Processional cross of oak with gilded copper and gilded silver leaf, 13th century. Collection Rijksmuseum
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