February 15, 1996
Contact: Kathleen Cassedy (202) 707-9191
Craig D'Ooge (202) 707-9189
Media Advisory: Rare Treasurs from the Saxon State Library, Dresden in Major Exhibition at the Library of Congress
WHAT: "Dresden: Treasures of the Saxon State Library"
WHEN: April 11 through July 13, 1996, Monday through Saturday,
11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
WHERE: The Southwest Gallery and Pavilion of the Thomas
Jefferson Building, The Library of Congress,
10 First St. S.E.
An exhibition of rare treasures from the Saxon State Library
will open at the Library of Congress on April 11, 1996.
"Dresden: Treasures from the Saxon State Library" will offer a
rich sampling of both German and European history and culture
from the High Middle Ages, Renaissance and Romantic periods.
The Saxon State Library began as a royal collection in
Dresden, Germany, 440 years ago. Under the auspices of Saxon's
ruling elector princes, nobility, and later, the library's
administrators and scholars, the collection was carefully
selected and purchased. The 185 treasures in this exhibition
were chosen for their beauty, uniqueness, and historical
significance. They include rare manuscripts, early examples of
the art of printing, maps, copper etchings, paintings and musical
scores. Exhibition highlights include:
- Priceless manuscripts from the Middle Ages of classical
literature by Horace and Ovid, and Italian poets Francesco
Petrarch and Giovanni Boccaccio, as well as illuminated and
religious works, including a rare Jewish prayer book and a
book of Gospels for Catholic mass.
- The first German-language Bible, translated by Martin
Luther, and other of his manuscripts and published works.
- Unique or original musical scores by Johann Sebastian Bach,
Antonio Vivaldi, Johann Heinrich Schutz, Carl Maria von
Weber, Richard Wagner and Robert Schumann.
- An original letter by literary giant, Johann Wolfgang von
Goethe.
- Images from Dresden city life, such as a staged hunt in the
town square, a fancy dress procession; and the first issues
from the oldest German daily newspaper.
- Literature from the Romantic era that flourished in Dresden,
including works by the German poet Novalis, the poet and
translator August Schlegel, and literary journals Athenaeum
and Phoebus.
- Original drawings of Dresden's baroque palaces and churches
by architects Matthaus Poppelmann and Georg Bahr, and
several cityscapes by various artists.
- A volume from the most important and largest 18th-century
German encyclopedia (68 vols.) and a sketchbook of master
artist Albrecht Durer, featuring woodcuts.
- Asian artifacts, featuring a palm leaf book from Java, from
the third century B.C.
These artifacts, which survived the Dresden fire bombings
during World War II, were largely unavailable and unknown to
Westerners during the 40 years that the Saxon State Government
was under communist rule. The exhibition is the result of four
years of collaboration and planning between the Saxon State
Library and the Library of Congress, and is part of the Library's
mission to make resources from the world's major cultural
institutions better known to Americans. It follows other
exhibitions of the Library of Congress, featuring European
collections: "Creating French Culture: Treasures from the
Biliotheque nationale de France" and "Rome Reborn: The Vatican
Library and Renaissance Culture."
The exhibition is funded by the Dresden Hilton Hotel, the
Donors' Association for the Promotion of Sciences and Humanities
in Germany, the Dresden Cultural Foundation of the Dresdner Bank,
Friends of the Saxon State Library, the Saxon State Government
and the Federal Republic of Germany.
# # #
PR 96-24
2/12/96
ISSN 0731-3527