The Dresden Castle is a residential palace incorporating baroque, Renaissance and classical styles. Today it houses a complex of great museums, including the Green Vault.
For Augustus the Strong, the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb was an idealized figure of absolute power and limitless wealth. This jewel-encrusted diorama of the Mughal court cost Augustus more than the construction of the Moritzburg Castle itself.
The 41-carat Dresden Green is the largest and finest natural green diamond in the world. In 2000 it was displayed at the Smithsonian next to its blue counterpart, the Hope Diamond.
Courtesy Dresden State Art Collections
Inside the Green Vault —
This gold and tortoiseshell notebook was created by goldsmith Pierre Triquet and jeweler Johann Heinrich Köhler. The central focus is a heart-shaped opal topped by a ruby, while the large diamond above serves as a clasp.
Courtesy Dresden State Art Collections
Inside the Green Vault —
The Order of the Golden Fleece was the most prestigious and exclusive award in the House of Habsburg. This medal crafted by Johann Melchior Dinglinger features three flaming rubies surrounded by 70 diamonds.
Courtesy Dresden State Art Collections
Inside the Green Vault —
An epaulette of the Dresden Court showcases over 200 rose-cut diamonds in a double loop motif.
Courtesy Dresden State Art Collections
Inside the Green Vault —
This exquisite frigate of ivory and gold, supported by a figure of Neptune, was the final work of the noted Dutch carver Jacob Zeller. The ship's billowing sails are wafer-thin slivers of ivory.
