BONN, GERMANY.- The Art- and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany in Bonn in cooperation with the Ruhrlandmuseum in Essen (Germany) and the Kunststiftung NRW The exhibition »Crown and Veil« is dedicated to all forms of female religiosity from the early Middle Ages until the Reformation in the sixteenth century. At the centre stand »works« that were made by and for nuns and canonesses. How were their buildings decorated, what images did they venerate and which books did they read? Women’s patronage contributed much more to the art of the Middle Ages than is generally supposed. The normative, political and economic conditions for the foundation and development of women’s monasteries will be considered, as will be the religious, theological and cultural traditions that shaped their daily lives. Approximately six hundred outstanding objects from major international collections will be on exhibit for three months, among them many ensembles that will be reunited for the first time since the dissolution of the monasteries from which they originate.

The exhibition will take place simultaneously in two places: Essen and Bonn. In Essen – until 1803 site of one of the oldest and most important of all »Frauenstifte« – the emphasis will be on the medieval tradition of foundations for canonesses, above all, those Saxon institutions situated between the Rhine and the Elbe. In Bonn, the emphasis will be on the reform orders, new foundations and reform movements that shaped the diverse forms of female monasticism. Each part of the exhibition will focus on a different chronological period: Essen, on the early development of female communities from the sixth until the twelfth century. In Bonn, the religious movements led by the new monastic and mendicant Orders and the efflorescence of mysticism will form the focus of attention, as will the impact of these movements on new urban centres and the entire society of the High and later Middle Ages.

Publications and Accompanying Program - The exhibition will be documented by an extensive catalogue (632 pages and circa 500 illustrations) with essays and entries by leading specialists that will take into account the most recent research. An interdisciplinary colloquium, to be held during the exhibition, will comment on and expand its contributions. A program enabling visits to former female monastic communities in the North-Rhine and Westfalian regions will allow the exhibition to embrace and encompass the entire region.