Royal Polish and Electoral Saxon (Königlich Polnischen und Churfürstlich Sächsischen) memorabilia in Saxony
In 1697, when Frederick Augustus I Wettin (1670-1733), Elector of Saxony, was elected monarch of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (Sarmatia, or Poland-Lithuania-Ruthenia) after the death of the victorious King John III Sobieski (1629-1696), his territories formed one of the largest, richest, and most diverse countries in Europe (composed of many nationalities and religions, including Orthodox, Catholic, Jewish, Lutheran, and Tatar Muslims). The Elector, better known as King Augustus II the Strong, and his son Augustus III (1696-1763) ruled the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Electorate of Saxony for more than half a century and made Dresden, their principal residence, one of the most brilliant artistic centers in Europe during the first half of the 18th century.
The Sarmatian magnates who frequently visited the Dresden court were inspired to commission comparable works of art and built similar buildings across Poland, Lithuania, and Ruthenia - for example, between 1735 and 1737, the Royal Meissen Porcelain Manufactory produced a magnificent service of over 1,000 pieces of porcelain for Count Aleksander Józef Sułkowski (1695-1762) - so-called "Sulkowski service". The Wettin family's principal residences, the Saxon Palace in Warsaw (Kingdom of Poland), rebuilt and enlarged after 1713, and the New Castle in Grodno (Grand Duchy of Lithuania), built and enlarged between 1734 and 1742, were both destroyed by German Nazi forces during World War II (in 1944 and 1941, respectively). Fortunately, many residences built in Saxony during the reigns of Augustus II and Augustus III have survived. They bear witness to the shared heritage of this period, and many of them proudly display the coat of arms of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth along with the coat of arms of the Electorate of Saxony.
(1) Reverse of a jasper bowl with the fighting Hercules - a miniature portrait of King Augustus II the Strong and the White Eagle of Poland, by Johann Melchior Dinglinger and Georg Friedrich Dinglinger, ca. 1708-1731 or 1712, Dresden Castle - New Green Vault.
(2-4) The Zwinger Palace in Dresden, built for King Augustus II the Strong between 1710 and 1728, adorned with the coat of arms of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Electorate of Saxony.
(5) Collection of Dresden faience from the early 18th century at the Zwinger (Porzellansammlung).
(6-8) Baroque postal distance markers from 1722, located in Pirna and Meissen, Saxony, erected on the orders of King Augustus II the Strong, to improve communication and measure distances, adorned with the coats of arms of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Electorate of Saxony.
(9-10) The Pillnitz Palace in Dresden, on the Elbe, was built between 1722 and 1723 in the chinoiserie and Dresden Baroque style, as a water palace for King Augustus II. The wooden side wings that flanked the palace were replaced by the current structures between 1788 and 1792.
(11-12) The Protestant Vineyard Church, located near the Pillnitz Palace in Dresden, was built between 1723 and 1725 on the orders of King Augustus II, on land belonging to the royal vineyard. It is adorned with the coat of arms of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Electorate of Saxony above its entrance.
(13-20) Moritzburg Castle, near Dresden, was originally a hunting lodge built between 1542 and 1546 for Elector Maurice of Saxony (1521-1553), hence its name. It was enlarged and remodeled between 1723 and 1733 for King Augustus II the Strong; the main building and the garden pavilions are adorned with the coats of arms of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Electorate of Saxony.
(21) Lower part of the Apis altarpiece in the Egyptian style, decorated with the coats of arms of Poland and Lithuania and the monogram ARP (Augustus Rex Poloniae), work of Johann Melchior Dinglinger, Christoph Hübner and Gottlieb Kirchner, before 1731, Dresden Castle - New Green Vault.
(22) Coronation service of King Augustus III, produced at the Meissen manufactory around 1733-1734, Porzellansammlung in Dresden.
(23-24) The equestrian statue of Augustus II the Strong in Dresden, known as the Golden Rider, unveiled on November 26, 1736.
(25-26) Porcelain statue of King Augustus III in Sarmatian costume by Johann Joachim Kändler, Johann Friedrich Eberlein and Johann Gottlieb Ehder, 1741-1742, Porzellansammlung in Dresden.
(27-28) Views of Dresden by Bernardo Bellotto, known as Canaletto, painted between 1748 and 1749 during the reign of Augustus III (Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden). In 1767, Bellotto settled in Warsaw.
(29) Porcelain model of the equestrian statue of King Augustus III, created by Johann Joachim Kändler, a renowned master modeler from the Meissen porcelain factory, ca. 1753, Porzellansammlung in Dresden.
(30) Porcelain mural "Princely Procession" (Fürstenzug) in Dresden, depicting Kings Augustus II and Augustus III, made between 1904 and 1907 in Meissen porcelain tiles.
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