Rüstkammer Dresden. Masks and Crowns – Festival Culture and Representation of Power

Dresden Rüstkammer
Masks and Crowns
Court festival culture and
representations of power
Published by Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden
Holger Schuckelt and Marius Winzeler

Contents
6 The Rüstkammer as a repository of court festival culture
and representations of power
MARIUS WINZELER
8 Festivities at the Dresden Court
CLAUDIA SCHNITZER
22 The rooms of the bel étage in the Residenzschloss
MARIUS WINZELER
38 THE GRAND BALLROOM
HOLGER SCHUCKELT
40 Pageants
HOLGER SCHUCKELT
46 ‘Semiramis’ tournament dress
CHRISTINE NAGEL
48 Gifts exchanged within the family and the court
CHRISTINE NAGEL UND VIKTORIA PISAREVA
54 Diplomatic gifts
HOLGER SCHUCKELT
58 Weddings and baptisms at the Dresden court
VIKTORIA PISAREVA UND STEFANO RINALDI
64 The procession of the Planets to the running
at the ring contest in 1613
GERNOT KLATTE
67 Running at the ring and carousels
HOLGER SCHUCKELT
71 The celebrations held during the visit of
King Frederik IV of Denmark in 1709
HOLGER SCHUCKELT
78 Courtly crossbow shooting
GERNOT KLATTE
82 The wedding of Friedrich August (II) of Saxony and
Maria Josepha of Austria in 1719
VIKTORIA PISAREVA
90 Model of the royal pageant barge ‘Bucentauro’
CHRISTINE NAGEL
92 Blessed hat with hat box and scabbard from the blessed sword
VIKTORIA PISAREVA

94 PORCELAIN CABINET IN THE TOWER ROOM
JULIA WEBER
96 ‘Elements’ vases
JULIA WEBER
100 Meissen vases with ‘Indian’ decor
SEBASTIAN BANK
104 THE PROPOSITION HALL
HOLGER SCHUCKELT
106 The electoral dignity, imperial elections, and royal coronations
CHRISTINE NAGEL
110 The coronation of August II in 1697 and
the Dresden coronation figurine
STEFANO RINALDI
116 The coronation of August III and Maria Josepha in 1734
STEFANO RINALDI
120 The Danish Royal Order of the Elephant
CHRISTINE NAGEL
124 The Royal Polish Order of the White Eagle
GERNOT KLATTE
127 The Royal Prussian Order of the Black Eagle
GERNOT KLATTE
130 The Order of the Golden Fleece
CHRISTINE NAGEL
136 The English Royal Order of the Garter
HOLGER SCHUCKELT
141 Three golden smallswords owned by Johann Georg II
STEFANO RINALDI
144 Decorations: The Military Order of St Henry and
the Order of the Rue Crown
SYLVIA KARGES UND MIRKO LOHAUS
148 The portrait busts of the Kings of Saxony
ASTRID NIELSEN
152 Chronology of the festivities at the Dresden court
156 Index of persons
160 Imprint / Image credits
Front Flap: Room plans
Back Flap: Selected bibliography

The Rüstkammer as a repository
of court festival culture and
representations of power
MARIUS WINZELER
The Rüstkammer in Dresden’s former electoral and royal palace, the
Residenzschloss, is one of the oldest collections of its kind, and its
unique holdings showcase essential aspects of the artistic and
cultural history of Saxony, Europe, and the world. Documents from
the early sixteenth century, during the reign of Duke Georg the
Bearded, already mention a ‘Harnischkammer’ (armour chamber).
Elector August commissioned its first inventory in 1567. In 1586,
Christian I laid the foundation stone for a grand edifice to accommodate
the Elector’s personal horses and the Rüstkammer, the
‘New Stable Building.’ The precious holdings were displayed in
28 ‘chambers’ on the upper floors. They testified to the wealth and
power of the Saxon ruling dynasty, the House of Wettin, and were
among the most visited sights in Dresden.
In contrast to the Zeughaus (the Dresden Arsenal, now the
Albertinum), where everyday weapons and military equipment were
stored, the Rüstkammer served primarily to enhance the prestige of
the rulers: Its contents were predominantly the personal arms and
tournament weapons of the Saxon electoral family, as well as numerous
gifts from all over Europe and beyond. Precious accoutrements
designed for parades, pageants, and masquerades were stored here
and kept ready for future use. Given the outstanding importance of
Dresden as the ‘most magnificent and gallant court in the world,’ as
the widely travelled Johann Michael von Loen put it in a comparison
with the royal residences of Vienna and Berlin in 1716 / 17, such a
collection was indispensable: ‘Here, there are constantly masquerades,
hunts, shooting contests and pastoral plays, processions of war
and peace, ceremonies – in short, everything is a game. You watch,
you play along, you are yourself being played.’
After the Rüstkammer was moved out of the Stable Building in
1722, being accommodated instead in the neighbouring ‘Privy War
Chancellery’ until 1832, some of the objects from the dissolved
Kunstkammer were incorporated into it. Under the name ‘Royal
Historical Museum,’ it was then transferred to the western galleries
and pavilions of the Zwinger. From there, the collection returned to
the Stable Building, now renamed the Johanneum, in 1877. Having
been removed for safekeeping between 1939 and 1944, the holdings
were largely relocated to the Soviet Union after the end of the war in
6

1945, most being returned in 1958. Between 1959 and 2012, selected
objects of the museum, which was restored to its original name of
Rüstkammer in 1992, were exhibited in the Semper Building of the
Zwinger. Thanks to the rebuilding of the Residenzschloss, the museum
finally returned to its original location. Following the opening of the
Türckische Cammer, the Riesensaal, the Renaissance Wing, the State
Apartments, and the Firearms Gallery, the recreated bel étage,
completed in 2026, provides the perfect architectural setting for the
unique group of holdings relating to courtly festival culture and
displays of power and prestige dating from the sixteenth to the
eighteenth century.
Sincere thanks are extended to Holger Krause of the Saxon State
Office for Real Estate and Construction Management (SIB) Dresden I,
as well as to the lead restorer Hans-Christoph Walther, for their
consistent and reliable cooperation during the construction process.
The exhibition architecture was designed by the architectural firm
Heine Mildner in Dresden. The presentation of the Rüstkammer’s
collection and the installation of the Porcelain Cabinet in the Tower
Room were made possible thanks to the provision of the necessary
funds by the Free State of Saxony and generous support from the
Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, the
Cultural Foundation of the German Federal States, and a private
donation from Henry H. Arnhold. Over many years, numerous specialists,
under the direction of Andreas Frauendorf, Head of Restoration at
the Rüstkammer, have conducted complex restoration work and
produced customised display supports. The concept for the exhibition
was developed by Holger Schuckelt, Senior Curator of the Rüstkammer,
and has been implemented by him and all the Rüstkammer staff,
namely Manfred Biedermann, Ines Bohn, Catrin Eisert, Kirsten Frank,
Maike Henschel,
Gernot Klatte,
Katharina Klein,
Christine Nagel,
Robert Pelzl,
Stefanie Penthin,
Viktoria Pisareva,
Stefano Rinaldi,
Thomas Seidel and
Susanne Sonntag.
Introduction
7

8
Inn sign for the “Inn of the White Eagle” event held in Dresden on 9 February 1728, Artist unknown, Dresden, late
1727 / early 1728, Sächsisches Staatsarchiv, 10006, Oberhofmarschallamt, F, Nr. 21 b, sheet 5

Festivities at the Dresden Court
CLAUDIA SCHNITZER
Festivities always played an important role at the Dresden court. Their
purpose, however, was not merely entertainment; they served primarily
to legitimise the rulers and enhance their prestige. As such, they were
a significant instrument of government for the Electors of Saxony.
There were many occasions for festivals and celebrations –
ranging from joyful, often dynastically relevant events such as births,
baptisms, and weddings, to painful ones such as death and funerals.
Special occasions that required a festive setting included state visits,
inaugurations, coronations, and investitures; the annual Carnival was
also celebrated in style.
A diverse range of festive activities was available for such
prestigious events, many of which involved the wearing of costumes:
most prominent among them were the various jousting tournaments,
but they also included parades, foot tournaments, sleigh rides,
costume banquets, balls, and ballets. Masquerades enabled the ruler
and his court to partly suspend the otherwise applicable ceremonial
protocol for the duration of the festival, thereby facilitating social
interaction.
Festivities lasting several days were not uncommon in Dresden;
sometimes they even lasted several weeks, such as the celebrations
in 1678, 1709, 1719, and 1747. The main purpose of these celebrations,
which usually had a mythological theme and became increasingly
Festivities
Christian and Sophia of Saxony on a luxurious one-horse sleigh, Heinrich Göding, Dresden, 1583,
Kupferstich-Kabinett, SKD, Inv. no. C 2288
9

10
complex over time, was to glorify the ruler and his family before the
eyes of the court and the public. Efforts were made to reduce the
high costs associated with these celebrations by reusing the props
and decorations.
From the sixteenth century onwards, tournaments were the
most prominent feature in the festival culture of the Electors of
Saxony in their capital city of Dresden. The consistency with which
such tournaments were staged here until the end of August the

Procession of the Seven Planets and of
Nimrod in Dresden on 4 February 1678,
Sigmund Gabriel Hipschmann after Jonas
Drentwett and Martin Klötzel, in: Gabriel
Tzschimmer: Durchlauchtigste Zusammenkunft
[…], Dresden 1680, Kupferstich-
Kabinett, SKD, Inv. no. A 132304
Festivities
Strong’s reign in 1733 is unparalleled among German courts and
encouraged the development of court-specific parade themes. Also
noteworthy is the great popularity of Turkish motifs as part of a vogue
for ‘turquerie’ or ‘Turkish fashion,’ the expressions of which changed
over the centuries. Initially, it was still largely influenced by fascination
with the Ottomans, who were perceived as a threat to Europe.
Objects of Turkish origin or imitating the Ottoman style came into the
electoral collections as spoils of war, as gifts, and as purchases. They
11

were prized as valuable decorations at court and were also used in
tournaments.
Elector August of Saxony still personally took part in the hazardous
jousting contests. But under his rule, less dangerous lance games
also became popular, such as running at the ring (→ pp. 66 – 70). For
these games, protective armour was no longer necessary and so it
was possible to hold the tournaments in costumes, which were now
displayed in pageants (called Inventionen), i.e. magnificent parades
based on mythological, biblical, allegorical, and genre-like themes
(→ pp. 40 – 45). The costumes used for these events were stored in
the Rüstkammer and reused multiple times, thus contributing to the
development of Dresden’s parade traditions.
Johann Georg I of Saxony expanded the tournament events to
include running at a head-shaped target and at a quintain, for which
other weapons were employed in addition to lances. The heads used
as targets were often designed to resemble the heads of enemy
Ottomans. The quintain, a rotating wooden figure, required particular
skill on the part of the knight if he was to avoid being struck after
hitting it. Whereas previously the tournament processions usually
consisted of a series of individual units representing a wide variety of
themes, on the occasion of the baptism of his son Johann Georg (II)
in June 1613, the Elector organised a groundbreaking running at the
ring event that stood out because of its fully coordinated programme
on the theme of Time and the Seven Planets (→ pp. 64 – 65).
In 1678, Johann Georg II surpassed all previous festivities in
Dresden by staging his ‘Durchlauchtigste Zusammenkunft,’ a family
gathering involving his brothers, all rulers over smaller Saxon duchies.
Over a period of nearly a month, the guests were entertained by
August of Saxony as a Christian conqueror over death and the devil in the procession to the running at the
ring contest in Dresden in 1584, 4th Part (detail) in: Daniel Bretschneider the Elder, Ringkrennen, So […] Christian
Hertzog zu Sachssen [...] den […] 2. Martij Anno 84. […] zu Dreßden gehalten […], Dresden 1584, Sächsische
Landesbibliothek – Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek, Signatur: S.B.205
12

Contest between the four quadrilles in the Carousel of the Four Continents in Dresden on 19 June 1709, Johann Samuel
Mock (?), Dresden, after June 1709, Kupferstich-Kabinett, SKD, Inv. no. C 1968-794 (Ca 199, sheet 10)
parades, chivalric games, theatre plays, shooting, hunting, operas,
comedies, ballets, masquerades, costume banquets, and a fireworks
display. The main theme of this multifaceted series of festivities was
the alignment and influence of the Seven Planets. With shrewd
political calculation, the Elector based the procession to the running
at the ring and quintain contests on the same theme that had been
used in the tournament procession held during his own christening
celebrations in 1613, namely the ‘primordial monarch’ Nimrod and the
Seven Planets (→ Fig. pp. 10 – 11). In this way, he emphasised his right of
primogeniture. Among the 36 imperial successors to Nimrod, who
was represented by the Elector himself, the Babylonian queen
Semiramis was the only female ruler. She was personified by Duke
Heinrich of Saxony, dressed in sumptuous ladies’ attire (→ pp. 46 – 47).
Under August the Strong, Dresden’s festival culture enjoyed a
further heyday. Chivalric contests were now frequently held in the
form of carousels involving different types of weapons (→ pp. 66 – 70).
In addition, great popularity was enjoyed by costume banquets, in
which the ladies of the court also actively participated. Depending on
the theme, these could be fanciful ‘peasant weddings,’ pastoral
scenes, or taverns, where the host – often played by the ruler himself
– invited guests to a meal in which they dressed in costumes
representing different nationalities or occupations (→ Fig. p. 14). The
fashion for ‘turquerie’ also took on a new dimension under August: he
Festivities
13

August the Strong and Baroness von Löwendal as heads of the shepherdesses, Figurines for the event
featuring shepherds, vintners, gardeners, and millers during Carnival in Dresden on 13 February 1725,
Unknown artist, Dresden, c. 1725, Sächsisches Staatsarchiv, 10006, Oberhofmarschallamt, G, no. 26 a,
sheets 184 and 185
14
August the Strong in the role of
Sultan during the procession to
the tournament in Dresden on
9 February 1697 (detail), Johann
Mock, Dresden, after February
1697, Kupferstich-Kabinett, SKD,
Inv. no. Ca 191, sheet 28

staged several Turkish festivals at which he himself assumed the role
of Sultan (→ Fig. p. 14). As early as 1695, during the first Carnival of his
reign, the Elector organised elaborate events, including the procession
of the gods to the night-time running at the ring, in which he
incorporated court ladies dressed as goddesses. August opened the
procession in the guise of Mercury, the messenger of the gods and
the god of commerce, thus expressing his ambitions to lead Saxony
to prosperity.
With the acquisition of the Polish crown in 1697, such festivities
took on additional significance for August, who used them to promote
his political aims. As festival director, he continuously perfected their
ever more elaborate and extensive programmes of events. August
devoted particular attention to the month-long festivities surrounding
the state visit of his cousin King Frederik IV of Denmark in June
1709 (→ pp. 71 – 77). The highlights – in addition to a fireworks display,
various hunting entertainments, a foot tournament, and a peasant
tavern – were, above all, the procession of the gods with the nighttime
running at the ring and quintain contests in the riding hall.
Furthermore, there was a ladies’ running at the ring competition, in
which 24 ladies attempted to thrust their ornately decorated lances
through the target rings, as well as the Carousel of the Four Continents.
Both these events were held in the building that preceded the
Dresden Zwinger (→ Fig. p. 16).
Night-time running at the ring and running at the quintain contest in the Dresden riding hall on 22 June 1709, Johann
Samuel Mock (?), Dresden, after June 1709, Kupferstich-Kabinett, SKD, Inv. no. C 1968-797 (from Ca 198, sheet 33)
15

Procession to the ladies’ running at the ring contest in Dresden on 6 June 1709, C. H. Fritzsche, Dresden, 1710,
Kupferstich-Kabinett, SKD, Inv. no. C 1968-791 (Ca 198, sheet 38)
King Frederik IV of Denmark as head of the Europeans in the Carousel of the Four Continents in Dresden on 19 June
1709 (detail), Johann Samuel Mock (?), Dresden, after June 1709, Kupferstich-Kabinett, SKD, Inv. no. C 5683
(Ca 196, sheet 26)
16

August the Strong as head of Fire in the Carousel of the Four Elements in Dresden on 15 September 1719 (detail),
Carl Heinrich Jacob Fehling, Dresden, probably 1731, Kupferstich-Kabinett, SKD, Inv. no. C 6712 (Ca 200, sheet 28)
However, the entertainments organised by August the Strong
reached their zenith in the so-called Festivals of the Planets held in
connection with the marriage of Crown Prince Friedrich August (II) to
Maria Josepha, daughter of the late Holy Roman Emperor, in September
1719 (→ pp. 82 – 89). August marked this politically and dynastically
significant event with a month of festivities in and around Dresden.
The festivities began with a magnificent reception for the bride, who
arrived in the Bucentauro, a Venetian state gondola (→ Fig. pp. 18 – 19,
pp. 90 – 91). The motto of the ensuing festivities was the contest of
the Seven Planets, which Apollo (Sol) opened with a theatrical
fireworks display based on the Argonaut legend on and along the
River Elbe. Mars, the god of war, contributed an equestrian and foot
tournament on the Altmarkt (→ Fig. p. 18). Jupiter was the patron of
the Carousel of the Four Elements in the Zwinger, which was one of
the most magnificent cavalcades of the Baroque period. Under the
auspices of Diana (Luna), a water hunt took place on the Elbe.
Mercury organised a fair with an ‘Inn of the Nations’ (Nationenwirtschaft)
in the Zwinger (→ Fig. p. 19). Venus, the goddess of love,
presided over a ladies’ festival in the Great Garden. The grand finale
was Saturn’s mining festival in the valley called Plauenscher Grund, in
which August spectacularly demonstrated Saxony’s economic
power, which was based on its mineral resources.
However, the exorbitant costs of the wedding put the country in
a precarious financial situation for years afterwards. Festive events
con tinued to take place, but they were generally less opulent. One
exce ption was the ‘Caroussel Comique’ held in the Dresden Zwinger
during Carnival in 1722, which August the Strong organised in parallel
with the assembly of the estates (Landtag) and which he financed
Festivities
17

‘Semiramis’ tournament dress
The dress was made for a masquerade procession
on a Roman or antique theme. This
is indicated by the sleeve tabs, the ‘Leonine
lace’ trimmings, the ribbon fastening on the
left shoulder and left side, and the sturdy linen
lining in the bodice. It has the character of
a ladies’ dress with a skirt open at the front.
However, the bodice and skirt are firmly sewn
together, and the so-called Schneppentaille
(a tight bodice with a tapering extension at
the front), which was typical of contemporary
ladies’ fashion, is absent. The dimensions and
the skin-coloured inserts at the décolleté and
neck suggest that the dress was intended for a
man. A note inside the sleeve, written on both
sides and inscribed ‘Semiramis / Duke Heinrich
of Halle,’ supports this assumption. In the seventeenth century, it was common for
women’s roles in theatrical performances or festive processions to be played by men.
The figure of the legendary Queen Semiramis was rarely taken up in court
masquerades, so the occasions on which such a dress would have been worn
at the Saxon court are limited. It is known that in three tournament processions
Semiramis was among the Assyrian monarchs in the retinue of the legendary King
Nimrod, whose role was played each time by Elector Johann Georg II. In February
1672, the then 24-year-old Electoral Prince Johann Georg (III) appeared in the role
of Semira mis. The dress may have been made for him, although there is no record
to confirm this. Six years later, in February 1678, another tournament procession
featuring King Nimrod took place as part of the ‘Durchlauchtigste Zusammenkunft.’
While Johann Georg (III) assumed the role of the planet Sol, his entourage once
again included Queen Semiramis. This time she was portrayed by the 20-year-old
Duke Heinrich of Weißenfels, who later took over the County of Barby. The aforementioned
note attests to his wearing the dress. A third occasion on which Queen
Semiramis appeared in a Nimrod procession was in 1679, when the ensign Heinrich
von Böhlau played the role of the queen.
The silk fabric of the tournament dress features a scattered floral pattern of
roses, carnations, and tulips in various shades of red, green, and blue. The dress
is described in the 1678 inventory of the Inventionskammer as a ‘Roman habit,
white with colourful flowers.’ Later, the ‘Leonine lace’ was mentioned, which is
bobbin lace with metal threads made of materials such as copper or brass. On
princely dresses made of precious silk fabrics, silver or silver-gilt was customarily
used. Christine Nagel
46
Display case 5
Tournament dress, outer fabric Italian, tailoring Saxon,
presumably 1672 (no later than 1678), Rüstkammer,
Inv. no. i. 0044

The Grand Ballroom

72
been used in 1587 (→ pp. 40 – 45)
(15.1). The bridle used by August
the Strong (13.3), which was
studded with glass gems, was
likewise made in 1709. At that
time, it was still covered with
red velvet. In 1719, the original
sun-shaped mounts (13.2) were
replaced with new ones, and
the entire set of equipment was
subsequently reworked several
times. In keeping with the colour
of the bridle at that time, August
the Strong rode on the ponceaured
saddle richly embroidered
with silver (13.4), which was
originally made for use with the
now green bridle presented next
to the horse (14.2).
For the lavishly staged
Carousel of the Four Continents
on 19 June, August the Strong
commissioned Johann Melchior
Dinglinger to design and manufacture
in his workshop the
parade shield decorated with an
eagle and glass gems, which was
carried by an attendant ahead
of the Danish king, who led the
European Quadrille (14.8). His
horse wore the bridle decorated
with garnet-studded motherof-pearl
plaques and openwork
silver-gilt mounts (14.11), which
had been made in 1709 from
parts of two bridles crafted by
Andreas Kellner. Elector Johann
Georg I of Saxony had received
these as a Christmas present
from his wife 80 years earlier.
One of August the Strong’s
companions, who commanded
the African Quadrille, carried the
parade shield (14.5) decorated
13.2
14.5
14.3 →

The Grand Ballroom

14.10
with a sun and the inscription ‘PRIVO
DI TE MI MORO’ (‘Deprived of you,
I die’), which had already been created
in the Dinglinger workshop for the Great
Procession of the Gods in 1695. August’s
horse wore one of the bridles used at his
coronation as King of Poland in Kraków
in 1697 (14.2). At that time, like the
accompanying saddle (13.4), it was still
ponceau red and decorated with rock
crystals, known as Zabeltitz diamonds,
in silver settings. It was not until 1708
that the bridle was re-covered using
green velvet.
The shields carried by the other
quadrille leaders were also made in the
Dinglinger workshop in 1695. The shield
of Duke Johann Georg of Saxe-Weißenfels,
who was dressed as the Sultan,
is decorated with an armour-clad arm
emerging from a cloud, with the hand
holding a bundle of lightning bolts (14.7).
The motto on it reads ‘SIN AMO Y SIN
RIVAL’ (‘Without master and without
rival’). The shield with the Apple of Paris
74
14.9

14.1
and the inscription ‘A LA PLUS
BELLE’ (‘To the most beautiful’)
was carried in front of Duke
Friedrich of Saxe-Weißenfels as
leader of the American Quadrille
(14.6). The less ornate, merely
colourfully painted tin shields
produced in 1695 were used
by lower- ranking participants
in the festivities (14.1). Several
layers of overpainting show that
these shields were used as props
for festive parades on multiple
occasions, such as the carousels
of 1709 and 1719.
Older items from the
collection were also used in the
foot tournament on Dresden’s
Altmarkt (market square) on
10 June, including swords and
armour dating from the sixteenth
and seventeenth centuries, some
of which are on display in the
Riesensaal. During the procession to the foot tournament, the round shield shown
here (14.9), painted with a sun and small stars, was carried by a weapon bearer
called a ‘Rondartschier’.
A large number of lances were needed for both the ladies’ running at the ring
event on 6 June and the night-time running at the ring and quintain tournaments.
According to the historical inventory records, the two fully gilded ring jousting
lances with red and blue silk velvet-covered grips, which are attributed to court
lacquer painter Martin Schnell, were intended to be used by the two kings in the
entertainments of 1709 (13.1 & 15.3). In the case of other ring jousting lances in the
Dresden Rüstkammer, it is not now possible to ascertain whether they were made
for the celebrations of 1709 or 1719 (BW 2).
The sabre with a pommel in the shape of a dog’s head (14.10) belonged to
a group of twelve similar-looking sabres that were carried by the cavaliers at
the ‘Lustbarkeiten’ (festivities) of 1709. However, it is not known in which of the
entertainments they were used. Holger Schuckelt
The Grand Ballroom
75

15.1, 15.2
13.3
15.1
76

13.3, 13.4
The Grand Ballroom
Display case 13
Lance for running at the ring, probably Martin Schnell,
Dresden, 1709, Rüstkammer, Inv. no. R 0286 ➀; 2 sunshaped
mounts, Saxon, 1709, Rüstkammer, Inv. nos.
L 0454, L 0455 ➁; Bridle, Saxon, 1709, reworked in
1719 and 1733, Rüstkammer, Inv. no. L 0012 ➂; Saddle,
Saxon, before 1697, Rüstkammer, Inv. no. L 0013.15 ➃
Display case 14
7 pageant shields, Dresden, 1695, re-painted in 1709
and 1719, Rüstkammer, Inv. nos. N 0081 a – g ➀; Bridle,
Johann Abraham Schneider, Meissen, between 1691
and 1694, reworked in 1708, Rüstkammer, Inv. no.
L 0013 ➁; Pageant mask, Johann Melchior Dinglinger,
Dresden, 1709, Rüstkammer, Inv. no. N 0171 ➂; Pageant
helmet, Johann Melchior Dinglinger, Dresden, 1709,
Rüstkammer, Inv. no. N 0164 ➃; 4 pageant shields,
Johann Melchior Dinglinger, Dresden, 1695 and 1709,
Rüstkammer, Inv. nos. N 0166 – N 0169 ➄–➇; Round
shield, South German, c. 1600, Rüstkammer, Inv. no.
Y 0396 ➈; Sabre, probably Polish, early 17th cent.,
Rüstkammer, Inv. no. Y 0370 ➉; Bridle and nose-band,
Andreas Kellner, Torgau 1625 / 1626, reworked in 1709,
Rüstkammer, Inv. nos. L 0004, L 0071 11
Display case 15
Bridle, Saxon, 1709, Rüstkammer, Inv. nos. L 0156,
L 0484 ➀; Saddle, probably Saxon, before 1709,
Rüstkammer, Inv. no. L 0599 ➁; Lance for running at
the ring, probably Martin Schnell, Dresden, 1709,
Rüstkammer, Inv. no. R 0287 ➂
77

Porcelain Cabinet in the
Tower Room
Prestigious display room of the Royal Porcelain
Manufactory in Meissen
When the Baroque State Apartments were installed on the most
prestigious floor of the Residenzschloss in 1719 in connection
with the celebrations marking the marriage of the Electoral
Prince to the Emperor’s daughter Maria Josepha of Austria,
August the Strong used the protective thick walls of the Hausmann
Tower as a place to display his precious silver buffet in the
central room of the north wing.
After the monumental silver vessels and tableware were moved
to the Grünes Gewölbe in the mid-1730s, their place was taken by
porcelain, which was dubbed ‘white gold.’ On gilded consoles in
front of red-lacquered wall panels, August III now displayed highlights
from the Meissen porcelain manufactory, which was unique
in Europe and a source of much envy. Outstanding examples of
East Asian porcelain from the royal collection in the Japanisches
Palais were also transferred to the newly established Porcelain
Cabinet in the Residenzschloss. The décor was complemented by
silver gueridons intended as supports for candlesticks – an enduring
reminder of the former silver buffet down to the present day.
Apart from some minor alterations, the Baroque porcelain
cabinet was preserved unchanged until the destruction of the
palace in 1945. The interior furnishings were destroyed during the
bombing of Dresden and have been reconstructed on the basis
of plans, drawings, and photographs. The porcelain was removed
for safekeeping during the war, and some of it survived. The empty
wall consoles remind us of the huge losses incurred during the
chaotic post-war period. Some masterpieces from the Meissen
porcelain factory, however, did return to their original location,
including the sculpturally exuberant ‘Elements’ vases designed
by court sculptor Johann Joachim Kaendler. Julia Weber
95