Why you should visit The Green Vault in Dresden!

Considered one of the richest treasure chambers in Europe, the Grünes Gewölbe (Green Vault), in Dresden, Germany, was destroyed during the Second World War. After its restoration, it was divided into two permanent exhibition areas; the Historisches Grünes Gewölbe (Historic Green Vault) and the Neues Grünes Gewölbe (New Green Vault)—a must-visit for those who admire fine craftsmanship and extravagance.

Halls of treasures
Visits to the Historisches Grünes Gewölbe is only possible with a timed ticket and the number of visitors who can be admitted each day is limited for the purpose of conservation. We step through the double-door entrance into the Baroque treasure trove of Augustus the Strong, where his treasures are displayed without any glass protection on gilt consoles in front of mirrored walls. 

Displays in the Jewel Room. Photo by Jürgen Karpinski​

The tour of the Historisches Grünes Gewölbe begins with the Bernsteinkabinett (Amber Cabinet) that displays magnificent pieces made of amber, including a statuette of a Greek goddess with a loincloth by Jacob Dobbermann and an ewer by Georg Schreiber. A sea of ivory greets us as we enter the Elfenbeinzimmer (Ivory Room); ivory pieces—a lion attacking a horse, the sons of Zeus subduing a wild bull, a bull with coral prongs, and more—made from the tusks of African and Asian elephants adorn the walls and tables of this room. The Weißsilberzimmer (White Silver Room), is a rush of vermilion. The treasures, which include mother-of-pearl figures, ornamental goblets and silver statuettes, seem more ornate because of the many mirrors in the room. In the green Silbervergoldeteszimmer (Silver Gilt Room), ornamental vases, parade vessles, and figurative silver works from the 16th and 17th centuries sit atop consoles. 

Moor with Emerald Tier. Image by Jürgen Karpinski​

You can't help but be awestruck at the Pretiosensaal (Hall of Precious Objects), the largest room of the Baroque Green Vault. The impressive effect of the numerous ornate vessels, made of vibrant gemstones, rock crystal, mother-of-pearl, sea-snail shells and ostrich eggs, is intensified through the multiple reflections. Stunning among the several displays are the large enamel portrait of the Virgin Mary by Georg Friedrich Dingliner and ostrich-egg goblets. In comparison, the Wappenzimmer (Heraldry Room) is rather simple. It had suffered a great deal in the WWII bombing and some of the displays are in fragments. The Juwelenzimmer (Jewel Room), with walls fitted with gilt mirrors, is the ultimate climax of the visit. The room houses 18th-century jewels—rings, shirt buttons, necklaces, hairpins and garnitures; diamond studded swords and armlets; hunting knives; and walking sticks, all intended for courtly display. A ‘Moor with Emerald Tier’ created by Johann Melchior Dinglinger has a casual but proud air. The ‘moor’ is actually and American Indian, who wears bands on his arms and legs, a neckpiece and a headgear that is adorned with emeralds, rubies, topaz and garnets, and carries an emerald tier bowl made of tortoise shell. The tour ends with the Bronzenzimmer (Bronze Room), which holds small French bronzes and a piece of Augustus the Strong on a horse, and the Raum der Renaissancebronzen (Room with Renaissance Bronzes). Augustus the Strong presented his treasures in these rooms to a select public, making it one of Europe’s oldest museums.

A Vault of Masterpieces
We climb to the first floor, which houses the Neues Grünes Gewölbe that displays almost 1,000 individual precious pieces that can be viewed up close in antiglare showcases. A cherry stone, in the Mikro Kabinett (Micro Cabinet), has 185 human faces carved into the surface. Our guide tells us, “not to take this number literally. According to more recent headcounts, there are only 113 faces”. Another stunning piece is a 'Large Frigate in Ivory', held up by Neptune. The entire warship is made of ivory, including it’s parchment-thin sails. Created by Jacob Zeller, the names of the princes of Saxony are carved on the ship’s hull. Tiny ivory sailors climb the gold-wire rigging of the ship, which also has gold anchors and chains. 


Large Frigate in Ivory. Photo by Jürgen Karpinski

Among Augustus the Strong’s collection, do not miss the ‘Golden Coffee Set’ by Dinglinger, in which gold cups are covered with enamel “to make them look like porcelain, because at that time European porcelain was not invented yet. He knew that Augustus the Strong fancied porcelain and was a collector of Chinese and Japanese porcelain,” our guide informs us. A small group of pearl dwarfs, made from enormously huge pearls—what the Portuguese called baroque (an irregular pearl)—are another must-see. 

‘Throne of the Grand Mogul Aurangzeb. Photo by Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Grünes Gewölbe

The climax of our visit is Dinglinger’s main work of art—‘Throne of the Grand Mogul Aurangzeb’. It took him and approximately 17 workers around seven years to create this piece representing the grand birthday celebrations of Aurangzeb. There are 132 gold human figurines, covered with enamel; 4909 diamonds; 160 rubies; 164 emeralds; a sapphire; 16 pearls and two cameos.. One can see Aurangzeb enthroned in the centre of things, while powerful princes present him with birthday gifts. Dinglinger had never been to India, but he worked on the basis of travellogues of his time. 

If that doesn’t take your breath away, If that doesn’t take your breath away, there’s ‘The Dresden Green’, the largest naturally green diamond ever found. It is surrounded by 400 diamonds, in brilliant cut. Augustus III purchased the 41-carat diamond at the 1742 Easter Fair in Leipzig for 400,000 thalers!

The spellbound reactions of visitors only prove that these works of art have not lost their fascination over the centuries.