Dresden Renaissance ceremonial dress restored

For the first time in decades, one of the jewels from the Dresden Armory's collection of historic Renaissance electoral robes can go on public display. Restored in Switzerland, the ceremonial gown of Elector August of Saxony (1526-1586) "had not been on display since 1939," director Marius Winzeler said Thursday before the opening of an exhibition at the Residence Palace. The costume, which was custom-made in the 16th century, will be on display for four months in a show entitled "Lace for the Elector."

The magnificent garment, in the "heraldic" court colors of gold and black introduced by Elector August, according to Winzeler, was researched and conserved from 2017 to 2019 at the Swiss Abegg Foundation in Riggisberg, which is internationally renowned in this field of textile research. Its "ruinous state of preservation" has been a challenge, director Regula Schorta reported. "We had to weigh how much of previous restorations could still be taken away without causing further damage."

A total of 1,200 working days were needed by the 15 restorers to restore it to its former glory in "meticulous work." "For us as an institution that doesn't have our own costumes, working with such an object is something grandiose and a great opportunity to learn," Schorta said. In the exhibition, exhibits and videos show, among other things, how the experts proceeded with the restoration.

The costume, made between 1567 and 1575 of bright yellow silk atlas and finished with black lace, is one of the few surviving masterpieces of late Renaissance princely fashion. Earlier exposure to light, removal from storage and transport during World War II - among other things as trophies to the Soviet Union - as well as restorations had affected substance and beauty.

However, the applied jewelry is missing from the old splendor. "There were buttons made of crystal with golden florets and also the surfaces covered with small stones," Schorta said. It is now closed only with hooks and eyes, he said. "No elector would have worn such a bare bump-to-bump chest."