The National Heritage Institute is organising the photography exhibition "The Embroidered Treasure of the Queens" in Rome, at the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia, with the opening scheduled for 15 January, on National Culture Day.
The exhibition, set to open at 6:30 pm, offers a distinctive visual journey into one of the most valuable symbols of Romanian cultural identity: the traditional Romanian blouses (ii) and traditional costumes that belonged to the Queens and Princesses of Romania heritage pieces preserved by the Royal Family Collection Foundation of Romania, the Ministry of Culture said in a Facebook post on Friday.
According to the National Heritage Institute, the visual approach focused on the monumental quality of detail presents the traditional costume not as an object, but as a network of signs, while photography, rather than serving solely as a documentary medium, becomes a genuine tool for reactivating meaning. The images, often abstract, detach details from their decorative context and transform them into autonomous forms, expressed in a visual language with its own symbolic and aesthetic value.
"The installations accompanying the photographs translate the language of embroidery into space, inviting the public to an immersive experience into the depth of Romanian textiles. Far from being mere scenographic elements, the installations each with two distinct faces, an arch of triumph and a screen are conceived as thresholds, fluid spaces, meditative openings that provide access to the richness of meanings embedded in the stitched signs. Rhomboid motifs, geometric bands, zigzags embroidered with gold or silver thread, and chromatic alternations of red, white, yellow and blue are not simple ornaments, but signs of fertility, germination, life cycles and the bond between humanity and the cosmos," the cited source specifies.
The Queens of Romania Elisabeta (1843-1916), Maria (1875-1938) and Elena (1896-1982) played a fundamental role in legitimising and refining traditional dress, elevating it from the rural sphere to the status of a royal cultural symbol. The blouses and costumes worn by queens and princesses were not simple peasant garments, but creations made specifically for the Royal House. Thus, a Romanian royal style emerged, in which folk tradition met monarchical grandeur.
Open to the public from 16 January to 28 February 2026, the exhibition is organised in collaboration with the Maitec Association and in partnership with the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia, the Ministry of Culture and the Embassy of Romania in Italy, within the framework of the Romania-Italy Cultural Year 2026, a bilateral strategic programme held under the High Patronage of Romania's President Nicusor Dan and Italy's President Sergio Mattarella.
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