Annual Report 2010 - Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden

Equipment of a
17th-century Ottoman
cavalryman
The highlight of the Türckische Cammer: the enormous Ottoman three-masted tent
the türckische Cammer today –
an authentic reinvention
Together with the Grünes Gewölbe, the Türckische Cammer
presents the Dresden Residenzschloss in a manner
commensurate with the demands of courtly representation
during the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The
main attraction is a lovingly restored Ottoman state tent,
which enables modern visitors to experience at first hand
the splendour and beauty of oriental artistic decor. It took
more than ten years of hard work for the lavish appliqués
made of silk and gilt leather to be restored to their former
glory. With its enormous dimensions of 20 m in length, 8
m in width and 6 m in height it is the focal point of the
exhibition, and thanks to the dramatic lighting in the
room it evokes the atmosphere of oriental nights.
Along with the weapons, flags and caftans on display in
the Türckische Cammer, the magnificent Ottoman horse
equipment, which has also been lovingly restored, constitutes
a further highlight of the exhibition. The ornamental
trappings are displayed on specially carved life­size
wooden Arabian horses which enchant the visitor with
their lifelike appearance and dynamic posture.
In this way, the exhibition concept of the Türckische Cammer
is, on the one hand, associated with traditional and
Early 19th-century
oriental edged
weapons
scientific/conservational requirements and, on the other,
it builds bridges to the present and future through its innovative
and modern form of presentation. On the basis
of this concept, the Türckische Cammer has become a
magnet for visitors that is definitely on a par with the
other attractions of the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen
Dresden and whose visitor numbers have surpassed all
expectations.
the opening – an intercultural encounter
However, the Türckische Cammer is more than just another
museum highlight in Dresden. It is above all a place
of intercultural encounter: a place which demonstrates
just how closely related Ottoman Turkish and Saxon/German
culture have been throughout the centuries. Curiosity
and fascination with what was different is just as much
in evidence as fear of a foreign culture. This gives the
Türckische Cammer a highly topical, political dimension,
with the museum being a place for experiencing the interplay
between the two cultures both in the past and in the
present day.
The great political significance attached to the Türckische
Cammer is reflected in the visit of the Turkish Foreign
Minister Ahmet Davutoǧlu and his German counterpart
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