Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister

The Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (German pronunciation: , Old Masters Gallery) in Dresden, Germany, houses approximately 750 paintings dating from the 15th to the 18th centuries. It includes major works from the Italian Renaissance as well as Dutch and Flemish paintings. Outstanding works by German, French, and Spanish painters of the time are also on display at the gallery. The Dresden State Art Collections house the Old Masters. The collection is housed in the Semper Gallery, the Zwinger's gallery wing.

History

Around 1830, an interior view of the Royal Painting Collection.

When Augustus, Elector of Saxony, founded the Kunstkammer (Art Chamber) of the Electors of Saxony in Dresden in 1560, paintings were subordinate to collectors' pieces from science, other art works, and curiosities. Augustus II the Strong and his son Frederick Augustus II did not begin collecting paintings systematically until the early 18th century. These two art-loving Electors of Saxony, who were also Kings of Poland, significantly expanded the collections in less than 60 years. The 100 best pieces from the Duke of Modena's (Francesco III's) collection were purchased in 1745 and arrived in Dresden the following year. As the rapidly expanding painting collection required more storage and display space, it was relocated from Dresden Castle to the adjacent Stallgebäude (Electors' Stables Building) in 1747. Meanwhile, the collection had become well-known in Europe. Paintings from all over Europe, particularly Italy, Paris, Amsterdam, and Prague, were purchased and shipped to Dresden. The Electors' purchasing spree culminated in the purchase of Raphael's Sistine Madonna in 1754. The Dresden painting gallery became not only one of Northern Europe's most famous Old Masters collections, but also a forerunner of the modern museums that would emerge in the late 18th century.

Collection

Inside the Sistine Chapel, with the Sistine Madonna in the background

The gallery displays approximately 750 paintings, or 40% of the total collection. They were made between the 15th and 18th centuries. The New Masters Gallery (Gemäldegalerie Neue Meister) in the Albertinum houses paintings from the nineteenth century onward. Masterworks by Italian painters such as Raphael, Titian, Giorgione, Correggio, Tintoretto, and Guercino are on display. A large number of 17th-century Flemish and Dutch paintings by Rubens, Rembrandt, Jordaens, Van Dyck, and Vermeer can be found in the collection. The gallery also features outstanding works by German, French, and Spanish painters. The gallery houses the world's largest collection of Cranach paintings, with 58 paintings by Lucas Cranach the Elder and Lucas Cranach the Younger. Panels and canvases from the early Renaissance are also on display, including Antonello da Messina's recently restored Saint Sebastian. The collection is structured by the colour of the walls. Italian art is displayed in rooms with dark red walls. Green backgrounds are used to display Dutch and Flemish paintings. On the grey walls are 17th century Spanish and French paintings. Every year, over 500,000 people visit the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister.