Grünes Gewölbe

Description

In the Residenzschloss Dresden, the Grünes Gewölbe houses the Wettins' historic treasure chamber and displays precious small works from the Renaissance to Classicism. The name in common use today refers to the column bases and capitals of the original vaulted rooms, once painted malachite green; visitors could already view parts of the collection from 1724. The holdings are presented as the Historisches Grünes Gewölbe and the Neues Grüne Gewölbe in the west wing of the Residenzschloss and belong to the Staatlichen Kunstsammlungen Dresden.

The complex dates back to construction after 1547: in the western wing of the palace, among other features, four vaulted rooms with green-painted capitals were created, which from the late 16th century served as the "Geheime Verwahrung." The choice of stone vaulting served to protect against fire and contributed to the preservation of the treasures. In the 18th century the Saxon court transformed the chamber into a representative cabinet of curiosities; in the 1720s the state rooms were expanded and fitted out for display in the Baroque manner.

The appearance remained largely intact until the 20th century. Three of the nine historic rooms were heavily damaged in the bombing of Dresden in 1945; the holdings had previously been moved out, were briefly in the Soviet Union after the end of the war, and were returned to the GDR in 1958. From 1959 until early 2004 the collection was housed in the Albertinum. The Neues Grüne Gewölbe opened in 2004 in ten rooms on the first floor of the west wing; in 2006 the reconstructed Historisches Grünes Gewölbe was reopened on the ground floor, its fittings modelled on the inventories of 1733; more than 3,000 objects returned to their historic location. The renovation costs totaled around €45 million; the restoration of the historic wall covering cost about €13 million.

During the break-in to the historic section on 25 November 2019 several jewels were stolen, including the white diamond "Sächsischer Weißer" (48 carats). Charges were brought against several suspects in 2021; by the end of 2022 thirty-one of the stolen pieces had been recovered. Still missing are, among other items, an epaulette with the "Sächsischer Weißer" and the "Große Brustschleife der Königin Amalie Auguste."

In the Historisches Grünes Gewölbe the late Baroque fittings can be experienced in the original vaulted rooms; the roughly 3,000 exhibits stand, as they once did, on consoles and display tables. The anteroom presents medieval and early Renaissance treasures such as the Trinkschale Iwans des Schrecklichen, Martin Luther’s drinking cup and signet ring, and a pocket edition of the Bible; a climate and dust airlock separates the historic rooms from the anteroom. Significant halls include the Bernstein-Kabinett, the Pretiosensaal ensemble with the Eck-Kabinett, the Juwelenzimmer, and rooms with ivory, silver and bronze works.

Outstanding individual pieces include the "Mohr mit der Smaragdstufe" by Johann Melchior Dinglinger (ca. 1724, 63.8 cm, lacquered pearwood richly set with gemstones), the wall-mounted "Obeliscus Augustalis" (228 cm, with around 240 gems), extensive amber works and the historic jewel garnitures long regarded as the largest jewelry treasure in Europe; among them a unique sapphire of 648 carats, a gift from the Russian tsar.

The Neues Grüne Gewölbe presents, in a simple, modern setting, about 1,100 objects in around 200 display cases; the exhibition is arranged chronologically and color-coded (Kunstkammer, Renaissance, Barock). On display here are, among other things, micro-carvings such as the "Kirschkern mit den 185 Angesichtern" (before 1589) as well as major works by Johann Melchior Dinglinger: the sumptuous "Goldenes Kaffeezeug" (1697–1701) with some 5,600 diamonds, the elaborate table centerpiece "Hofstaat zu Delhi" (1701–1708) and the richly ornamented "Bad der Diana." The "Dresdner Grüne Diamant" (41 carats), notable for its greenish tint, is also part of the collection and has already been shown internationally.