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Credit: Coupe en forme de licorne de mer, Elias Geyer, Leipzig, vers 1600 © Grünes Gewölbe, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, photo: Paul Kuchel

Mirrors of the world, treasures of Dresden

Exhibition at the Musée du Luxembourg

The Musée du Luxembourg exhibition brings together some one hundred exceptional works and objects collected between the 16th and 18th centuries by the powerful Princes Electors of Saxony.

In a period marked by the struggle for imperial power between the Electorates of the Holy Roman Empire and the European courts, this dazzlingly rich collection demonstrates the political power of the Elector.

Comprising art objects, scientific instruments and books, natural materials and ethnographic objects, the Kunstkammer or "art cabinet" was the first collection of its kind in Germany.art cabinet" was the first collection in Europe to open its doors to the general public, who saw it as a place of knowledge and education.

In this exhibition, the emphasis is on the artistic quality and provenance of the works, reflecting the many global relationships and cultural exchanges, as well as the Euro-centric worldview they embody.

Some historical objects are mirrored by works by contemporary artists, putting these historical collections into perspective with the issues of our time.