Dresden Rüstkammer: the Firearms Gallery in the Long Corridor

Abstract

"The "Rifle Gallery" in the "long corridor" of Dresden's Royal Palace presents around 500 unique handguns from the collections of the Saxon electors and kings. The magnificent rifles and pistols from the 16th to 19th centuries were used for hunting, target shooting and courtly representation. The new museum guide presents the history of the collection as well as the architecture and furnishings of the Lange Gang. With its ancestral gallery, the approximately 100-metre-long Renaissance building embodied the dynastic memorabilia of the ruling family and housed the elector's "personal rifle" from 1733. A richly-illustrated selection of objects presents a journey through three centuries of European gunsmithing and decorative art; the exhibits are elucidated in their complex cultural and historical contexts"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents

The firearms gallery in Dresden's Residenzschloss / Marius Winzeler -- The architectural history of the long corridor / Gernot Klatte -- Ancestral gallery and depictions of tournaments : the paintings in the long corridor / Stefano Rinaldi -- The history of the firearms gallery / Stefano Rinaldi.