Dresden Armory
Encyclopedia
The Dresden Armory also known as the Dresden Historical Museum (German: Historisches Museum Dresden), is one of the world's largest collections of ceremonial weapons, armors and historical textiles. It is part of the Dresden State Art Collections
.
The Dresden Armory is currently on display in the gallery wing of the Zwinger Palace
in Dresden
. After the reconstruction of Dresden Castle
will be finished in 2013, the armory will return to its original location in the castle.
The Turkish Chamber (German: Türckische Cammer) is a separate collection within the Dresden Armory that is focused on art from the Ottoman Empire
. It is already located in the Dresden Castle
.
.
The roots of the oriental collection in Dresden can be traced back as far as 1591. At that time, the Turkish Chamber was still called "Ungerische Cammer" (Hungarian Chamber), probably because Saxony at that time had primarily come into contact with the Ottoman Empire
in Hungary
. The first recorded use of the name Turkish Chamber dates from 1614.
Over the course of several centuries, diplomatic gifts, purchased objects and booty gained in various battles against the Ottomans where assembled, creating one of the oldest and most significant collections of Ottoman art outside Turkey
.
The exhibition presents more than 600 individual pieces of art. The largest object in the Turkish Chamber is a three-mast tent, 20 m (65.6 ft) long, 8 m (26.2 ft) wide and 6 m (19.7 ft) high, giving the viewer a sense of being under a second sky of gold and silk. It was brought to Dresden in 1729. The tent is made of satin, cotton and gilt leather; its restoration lasted 14 years. In addition, there are eight life-sized, carved wooden horses and a group of reflex bows with original strings, the oldest of which dates from 1586. Also shown are weapons, suits of chain mail
, helmets, flags and costumes.
Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden
Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden is a cultural institution in Dresden, Germany, owned by the State of Saxony. It belongs to the most renowned and oldest museum institutions in the world, originating from the collections of the Saxon electors in the 16th century .Today, the Dresden State Art...
.
The Dresden Armory is currently on display in the gallery wing of the Zwinger Palace
Zwinger
The Zwinger is a palace in Dresden, eastern Germany, built in Baroque style. It served as the orangery, exhibition gallery and festival arena of the Dresden Court....
in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
. After the reconstruction of Dresden Castle
Dresden castle
Dresden Castle is one of the oldest buildings in Dresden. For almost 400 years, it has been the residence of the electors and kings of Saxony...
will be finished in 2013, the armory will return to its original location in the castle.
The Turkish Chamber (German: Türckische Cammer) is a separate collection within the Dresden Armory that is focused on art from the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. It is already located in the Dresden Castle
Dresden castle
Dresden Castle is one of the oldest buildings in Dresden. For almost 400 years, it has been the residence of the electors and kings of Saxony...
.
Collections
The collection of the Dresden Armory in the Zwinger includes:- SarmatianSarmatism"Sarmatism" is a term designating the dominant lifestyle, culture and ideology of the szlachta of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from the 16th to the 19th centuries. Together with "Golden Liberty," it formed a central aspect of the Commonwealth's culture...
style parade armour of king John III SobieskiJohn III SobieskiJohn III Sobieski was one of the most notable monarchs of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, from 1674 until his death King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. Sobieski's 22-year-reign was marked by a period of the Commonwealth's stabilization, much needed after the turmoil of the Deluge and...
of PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
(German: Schuppenpanzer). The armour is a type of scale armourScale armourScale armour is an early form of armour sometimes erroneously called scale mail consisting of many individual small armour scales of various shapes attached to each other and to a backing of cloth or leather in overlapping rows. Scale armour was worn by warriors of many different cultures as well...
, so-called karacena, very popular among the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth nobilitySzlachtaThe szlachta was a legally privileged noble class with origins in the Kingdom of Poland. It gained considerable institutional privileges during the 1333-1370 reign of Casimir the Great. In 1413, following a series of tentative personal unions between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of...
in the second half of the 17th century. It was probably created in ArmenianArmeniansArmenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
workshops in LvivLvivLviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
in todays UkraineUkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. Obtained by Frederick Augustus IAugustus II the StrongFrederick Augustus I or Augustus II the Strong was Elector of Saxony and King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania ....
, elector of Saxony and king of Poland in about 1719 (included in the Türkenkammer's inventory on May 23, 1719), is today on display in the Dresden's Armory. - Crown of Augustus IICrown of Augustus IIThe Crown of Augustus II was intended for his coronation as a King of Poland. The crown was made in 1697 by Freiburg's goldsmith Johann Friedrich Klemm. It was not used, however...
intended for his coronation as a King of Poland (German: Königskrone August des Starken). It was manufactured in 1697 by FreiburgFreiburgFreiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In the extreme south-west of the country, it straddles the Dreisam river, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain...
's goldsmith Johann Friedrich Klemm. The crown is made of gilded silverSilverSilver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
and decorated with colorful enamelVitreous enamelVitreous enamel, also porcelain enamel in U.S. English, is a material made by fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing, usually between 750 and 850 °C...
and semi-precious stones.
Turkish Chamber
The holdings of the Dresden Armory include objects belonging to the Turkish Chamber (German: Türckische Cammer) which formed a separate collection within the Armory from at least 1591. The Turkish Chamber is specialized in Ottoman art and is shown in the Dresden CastleDresden castle
Dresden Castle is one of the oldest buildings in Dresden. For almost 400 years, it has been the residence of the electors and kings of Saxony...
.
The roots of the oriental collection in Dresden can be traced back as far as 1591. At that time, the Turkish Chamber was still called "Ungerische Cammer" (Hungarian Chamber), probably because Saxony at that time had primarily come into contact with the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. The first recorded use of the name Turkish Chamber dates from 1614.
Over the course of several centuries, diplomatic gifts, purchased objects and booty gained in various battles against the Ottomans where assembled, creating one of the oldest and most significant collections of Ottoman art outside Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
The exhibition presents more than 600 individual pieces of art. The largest object in the Turkish Chamber is a three-mast tent, 20 m (65.6 ft) long, 8 m (26.2 ft) wide and 6 m (19.7 ft) high, giving the viewer a sense of being under a second sky of gold and silk. It was brought to Dresden in 1729. The tent is made of satin, cotton and gilt leather; its restoration lasted 14 years. In addition, there are eight life-sized, carved wooden horses and a group of reflex bows with original strings, the oldest of which dates from 1586. Also shown are weapons, suits of chain mail
Mail (armour)
Mail is a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh.-History:Mail was a highly successful type of armour and was used by nearly every metalworking culture....
, helmets, flags and costumes.
External links
- Rüstkammer (Armory) Homepage of the Dresden State Art Collections
- Türckische Cammer Homepage of the Dresden State Art Collections
- Dresden & Sachsen. Historisches Museum (Rüstkammer)