Elegant Elbe: Dresden b Royal Palace (5/27/2018)

Sunday, May 27, 2018 (continued)
Continuing the walking tour of Dresden to the Royal Palace/Residenzschloss (est circa 1200, 1701-1729, 1889-1901, rebuilding began in 1960s and completed in 2013).

Royal Palace entry courtyard

Courtyard fountain

Courtyard fountain detail (KSS)

Another courtyard with sgraffito
and a spiral staircase tower

The Royal Palace is known for the Historic Green Vault/Historisches Grünes Gewölbe, started by Augustus the Strong to exhibit his treasures, which makes it one of the oldest museums in the world. The treasures were hidden during World War II (at Königstein Fortress) and escaped damage from the bombing. However, they were then confiscated by the Red Army, and not until 1958 did some of the collection get returned.

Today, we were taken to the New Green Vault, which supposedly is complementary to the Historic Green Vault, with treasures from the Renaissance period to the 19C. One room, the Micro-Cabinet, had magnified displays of carved cherry pits, one in an earring (1589) with 185 faces (113 have been counted).

Rolling ball clock/Kugellaufuhr (circa 1600,
by Hans Schlottheim)

In the rolling ball clock, a rock crystal ball circled down in the tower in exactly one minute while inside another ball was being lifted to the top. The minute hand would move and Saturn would strike the bell. Twice a day the musicians around the balcony raised their instruments, and an organ melody was heard.

Saturn who strikes the bell

Ivory column clock/Elfenbeinsäuleuhr (1589,
by Egidius Lobenigk and Hans Schlottheim)

There is a small cherub sitting on the ledge above the ball with a stick to point out the time at the numbers on the rotating carved ivory ball.

On the hour, the musicians at the bottom "play" their instruments

Daphne drinking vessel/Trinkgefäß (1579-1586,
by Wenzel Jamnitzer and Abraham Jamnitzer)
with coral used to represent the tree into
which Daphne changes to escape Apollo

Lüneburg Mirror (1587, by Luleff Meier) with
frame (1592, by Dirich Utermarke) (KSS)

The double-headed eagle behind the Crucifixion seems
to be in reference to the Holy Roman Emperor, with
coats of arms of all the kingdoms in the realm (KSS)

Modern lighting set-up in the Hall of Works of Art (KSS)

Commessi di pietra dura (circa 1610) is like a
perfectly-fitted puzzle of carved stone pieces;
also called Florentine mosaics - the technique
may actually have developed in Prague (KSS)

Rock crystal galley/Bergkristallgaleere (late 16c, by the
workshop of Saracchi in Milano)

Rock crystal galley detail; it is thought the Danish flag
was added before a visit from the Danish king in 1709

Dish (circa 1600, in Venice) made from
reticulated or lacework glass, with fine white
lines creating a net-like effect (KSS)

Opal glass flask/Flasche aus Opalglas
(Venice, with gold fitting of 1580-1585)

Large ivory frigate/Grosse Elfenbeinfregatte (1620, by
Jakob Zeller) is supported by Neptune

Even the sails are made of ivory,
and there are 50 tiny sailors

Celestial and terrestrial globes (1626-1629, by
goldsmith Elias Lenker and engraver Johannes
Schmidt) in gilded silver

Close-up of the terrestial globe

Board game case (1655, by Johann Georg Fischer), with the inner
board for the game of Trictrac (a variant of backgammon)

The outer board is for chess

Dancing dwarf (before 1706) whose body is
a large deformed pearl (KSS)

Cook playing fiddle on a gridiron (before 1706)

Dutchman ice skating (circa 1700-1705)

Table clock/Tischuhr (1720-1727, by goldsmith
Johann Heinrich Köhler and clockmaker Johann
Gottlieb Graupner) depicting the Hubertus legend

The Hubertus legend tells of a reclusive man who was hunting on a Good Friday. He encountered a stag that seemed to have a white cross between the antlers. A voice warned that if he did not turn to the Lord, he would quickly go to hell. The voice also lectured about ethical hunting behavior. Hubertus became a priest and then bishop, and is credited for setting up the ethics and rules of the hunt as still followed in Germany and Austria. Since Augustus the Strong was a huntsman, he very much valued this clock.

Detail of the Hubertus legend clock

Some people may recognize the stag with the cross as being the logo for the herbal liqueur, Jägermeister.

Apis altar (1731, by Johann Melchior Dinglinger)
was the last work of the celebrated court jeweler (KSS)

The Apis Altar seems to be one of the first objects of art
to show the influence of Egypt (KSS)

An entire room was devoted to the works of Dinglinger.

Golden coffee set (1697-1701, by Dinglinger) is of
pure gold with some pieces iced with enamel to
resemble porcelain and crusted with precious stones

The throne of the Grand Mogul Aureng-Zeb (1701-1708, Dinglinger)
depicting the occasion of his birthday; according to
Augustus the Strong, the Grand Mogul symbolizes
absolute power and immeasurable riches

Detail of the throne; the entire work has
132 figurines and 32 gifts

Including a white elephant

The Traveling Treasures Room has the
custom-made cases for treasures that
Augustus the Strong would take with him on trips

Items that had custom-made cases

The case for the bowl on the lower left of the photo above

Decorative fireplace by Johann Christian Neuber,
in the location for which it was meant

Dresden Green Diamond in a hat clasp (1768-1769,
by Franz Michael Diespach), the only large
naturally green diamond in the world

Wow! I believe that was the best "treasures" exhibit I have ever seen, and we were not even in the historic Green Vault!
Next: Dresden c.