Dresden Armoury

[Tatyana Dianova]

Some days ago I have visited Dresden Armoury (Saxony, Germany). Unfortunately, this place is not so famous among collectors of arms and armour. But in 16th-18th century Saxony kings were one of the most rich and powerful rulers in Europe. Dresden Armoury (Rüstkammer) originated as a collection of personal possessions belonging to the dukes and electors of Saxony. The countless items in the Rüstkammer include European and oriental weapons, horse equipment, courtly costumes. The ornately decorated suites of armour for man and horse, helmets and shields, ornamental edged weapons such as swords, rapiers, sabers and daggers, battleaxes and maces, as well as rifles and pistols, were intended not only for protection of the Saxon rulers but also as a means of enhancing their prestige.
Entry price to the museum is just 3 Euro and you may spend there a whole day without getting bored.
I have tried to make several photos. Unfortunately bad light and official restrictions make it impossible to make good quality pictures. But, anyway, this is better than nothing…
There are a lot of European arms and armour (of exceptional quality and condition), some Ottoman, Persian, Japanese, etc. pieces and also lot of swords with oriental blades and European dresses…
Here are some examples of oriental arms: Keris with the solid gold dress and Ottoman arms.

[Tatyana Dianova]

A sword from Kirgisia of Tatar type (one of my favourites), of exceptional quality and very long as well!

[Tatyana Dianova]

Below are Ottoman (one with the Greek inscription and Maria with Jesus image) and Japanese blades which have European dress (you remember, Radu was asking about them some time ago). One sword is Japanese made for the European market.

[Tatyana Dianova]

More...

[Tatyana Dianova]

And finally the European arms and armour, among them a Polish sword and Landsknecht sword with richly decorated scabbard.

[Tatyana Dianova]

Some more...

[Mick]

Well folks, there is a fine example of gold work on a keris dressed in Sulawesi style. Without serious investigation of the photo,however, the keris does not look like a Bugis keris and the gold work looks like Javanese work.

[VANDOO]

THANKS FOR THE CHRISTMAS PRESENT

I THINK YOU DID QUITE WELL WITH THE PICTURES CONSIDERING ALL THE USUAL PROBLEMS TAKING THEM IN A MUSEUM THRU GLASS WITH LESS THAN PERFECT LIGHTING NOT TO MENTION DODGING THE GAURDS

I WILL MAKE IT A POINT TO PAY THE MUSEUM A VISIT WHEN I GET A CHANCE TO VISIT GERMANY AGAIN.

[Tim Simmons]

This is really beautiful metal work. I have worked on some commemorative battle scenes "The battle of Medicina 1945" not as fine as the chased steel shield but a continuation of the tradition no less. Oh and a Zulu battle scene on a small box. I could show them here if there is any interest?

[Jim McDougall]

Tatyana, thank you so much for sharing the wonderful treasures held in this museum! You did a remarkable job in capturing this in a most difficult photographic challenge as Vandoo has noted. What a very kind gift, especially for those of us who will not likely get to that apparantly quite impressive museum.
With the wide array of arms and armour displayed, it will be interesting to see what observations and comments will be responded concerning them from those with key knowledge on these fields of study. It's been a long time since the interesting thread that discussed Japanese arms and armour in Europe as you have mentioned (where did Radu disappear to anyway?
That was a terrific example of the confluence of European and ethnographic weapons and the trade dynamics that were far more complex than often realized.
Very nicely done Tatyana, and thank you again!!
Very best regards,
Jim

[Chris Evans]

Tatyana,

Thank you for those wonderful photos - Made my day!

Cheers
Chris

[Tatyana Dianova]

Yes Tim, of course you should share your work with us, best of all with some short historical explanation. It is always interesting to see the modern development of the arms metal work. The modern Russian smithes make very interesting and splendid arms nowadays, but I think it is a subject for the new thread.

[ALEX]

Fantastic pictures of Fantastic items. Thank you Tatyana!
I visited Oriental Arms room at the Wallace Collection, and the quality/rarity factor and effect are quite similar, IMHO. Picture taking is strictly prohibited there though.
If anyone has a chance to visit Wallace Collection in London - you won't regret it. Also, I'd recommend browsing through this site:
http://www.myarmoury.com/feature_visit_wallace.html
You may click on Albums links, and there are over 2000 pictures!
So much to see:-)
and how about this: http://www.myarmoury.com/features.html

[Tim Simmons]

Tatyana thank you for the invitation. I would not like to start a thread about my work, just not me. If there is something in any way relevant to a topic then I think that is okay, Antonio is often commenting on the preservation of skills.
This loving cup is not made with a feudal monarchs budget just an officers mess so all the artwork is basically done in the wax to save money. It is also quite a bit smaller. The only parts of the design I had influence on were the stand scene and the regemental emblem on the lid. I hope members will find it interesting. Can you give any information about the scene on the shield?

[spiral]

Tim, I am getting page not found on photos?

I would be interested to see them.

Spiral