Rüstkammer: Frederick Augustus and Maria Josepha

Ausstellungsplakat mit Schloss Hubertusburg, Maria Josepha und Friedrich August

Frederick Augustus and Maria Josepha

Saxony’s Lost Rococo

Outstanding rococo art and a glittering wedding of the century – two special exhibitions at Schloss Hubertusburg, one of Europe’s largest hunting palaces, invite you on a journey through time. When Elector Frederick Augustus, the son of Augustus the Strong, married the emperor's daughter Maria Josepha in Dresden in September 1719, the people of Europe were treated to the sight of operas, parades, masquerades and all the other trappings of a late baroque festival.

Exhibition Site Schloss Hubertusburg, Wermsdorf

DATES 28/04/2019—03/11/2019

Opening Hours

daily 10a.m. to 6 p.m., closed on Mondays

In the first part of this exhibition, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden invite visitors to rediscover the royal couple’s court and “Saxony’s Lost Rococo”. The exhibition rooms in the palace’s old piano nobile hold well over 100 high-profile works of art and precious examples of Saxon rococo which transport visitors back in time to the everyday courtly life of this royal couple who left a deep mark on the style of their times with their passion for music, art and culture.

Portait eines Mannes — **Louis de Silvestre und Werkstatt, Kurprinz Friedrich August von Sachsen, Dresden, um 1730**

“It was the Wedding of the Century!” – in the second part of the exhibition, Schlösserland Sachsen breathes new life into now unadorned rooms of the palace which have been opened to the public for the first time. Video installations and a rotating 360° video screen return sections of the building to their former glory, allowing visitors to see them as they were once imagined and designed by Maria Josepha and Frederick Augustus II. Finally, the journey through time returns to the beginning – with a moving 360° video installation inviting guests to join in the grandiose celebrations at the “Wedding of the Century”.

Schloss von außen — **Schloss Hubertusburg**

A new royal couple for Saxony and Poland

The wedding of Frederick Augustus II and Maria Josepha was a one-month spectacle of late baroque festivities. With operas, parades and masquerades, the young royals knew how to put on an impressive show and establish Saxony and Poland’s joint position among the other European powers.

Courtly culture and splendour

The reign of Frederick Augustus and Maria Josepha was marked by their great passion for culture, art and music. Thanks to their patronage and collecting, the Kingdom of Saxony and Poland developed into a thriving cultural landscape.

Operas and music at the court

Frederick Augustus and Maria Josepha transformed the Saxon court into a European centre for music, and especially operas. Soon, everyone was talking about the performances at Schloss Hubertusburg, with their high-profile casts and elaborate costumes.

A passion for collecting and hunting

Frederick Augustus and Maria Josepha shared a keen enthusiasm for hunting, a courtly pleasure combining sociable entertainment and princely splendour. The extensive royal collection of hunting weapons – hunting knives, rifles and pistols – includes some masterpieces of rococo art.

Rococo palace and hunting lodge

Augustus the Strong – Frederick Augustus’s father – commissioned the building of Schloss Hubertusburg for the young royal couple in 1721. The building complex, with its magnificent grounds, is one of the largest hunting palaces in Europe.

Family and dynasty

Masterpieces of portraiture depict the great family of Frederick Augustus II and Maria Josepha. The princes and princesses established important diplomatic networks by marrying strategically within Europe.