This unique exhibition traces the lives of several of these princesses and gives an extraordinary glimpse into European aristocratic life in the eighteenth century. A life of tremendous freedom for that day and age, filled with pomp and grandeur, yet also a life led in a gilded cage.

Historically, it is rare to see women described as autonomous actors with independent identities. With this exhibition, the Limburgs Museum shatters the historical invisibility of women.

In the eighteenth century, Thorn in modern-day Limburg was a small independent state in the Holy Roman Empire, where princesses and countesses ruled. As high nobility, these ladies lived in luxury and were always in the spotlight.

The forgotten princesses of Thorn presents artworks and objects from over fifty museums across Europe and the US. Most, from state portraits to splendid gowns and jewels, have never before been shown in the Netherlands.