독일 북동부에 위치한 드레스덴은 19세기 초 ‘독일의 피렌체’라고 불린 것처럼 오랫동안 예술 중심지로 칭송받아 왔다. 본고는 드레스덴이 르네상스 미술의 탄생지에 비견될 정도로 성장한 원인을 18세기 아우구스트의 시대에서 찾고, 가장 오래된 유럽 박물관에 속하는 드레스덴 국립 박물관의 기원을 작센 군주들의 예술 정책과 연결시켜 분석하였다. 선제후 프리드리히 아우구스트 1세이자 폴란드의 왕 아우구스트 2세, 즉 강건왕 아우구스트와 그를 계승한 선제후 프리드리히 아우구스트 2세이자 폴란드의 왕 아우구스트 3세는 쿤스트캄머의 소장품을 전례 없이 확장했을 뿐만 아니라 지배자의 권위를 대변하는 무대장치로 삼았다. 이는 마이센 도자기가 전시된 일본 궁전을 비롯해 과학 궁전으로 선택된 츠빙어, 슈탈게보이데의 회화 전시관을 통해 확인할 수 있었다. 또한 강건왕 이래로 수집품의 개방이 확대되고 계몽주의적인 전시 방식이 도입되면서 궁정의 예술품은 좋은 취향을 형성하기 위한 ‘공공 학교’로 작동했으며, 드레스덴은 부분적일지라도 대중에게 왕실 소장품을 자유롭게 열어 준 최초의 도시 가운데 하나가 되었다. 무엇보다 작센의 황금시대에 진행된 수집품의 체계적인 분류와 독자적인 전시 공간의 성장, 공공성의 강조는 전문 컬렉션의 등장을 알리는 동시에 현재 드레스덴 국립 박물관의 구성과 역할이 두 명의 아우구스트에게 빚지고 있다는 사실을 전달한다. 본고는 1793년 프랑스 혁명 정부가 루브르 궁전을 공공 박물관으로 선포하기 전에도 드레스덴에서 만인을 위한 군주의 예술품이 존재했다는 점을 도출해 내었다.

The city of Dresden in northeastern Germany has been praised as the country’s artistic center, with Johann Gottfried Herder once calling it “the Florence of Germany (Deutsches Florenz).” The reason why Dresden grew into a city comparable to the birthplace of Renaissance art can be traced to two 18th century Saxon monarchs: Augustus II the Strong, Elector of Saxony (Friedrich August I) and King of Poland, and his son Augustus III who succeeded him as Elector of Saxony (Friedrich August II) and King of Poland. Given that Dresden’s long-standing cultural renown dates back to the 18th century, or the era of Augustus (Augusteisches Zeitalter), this paper analyzes the origins and characteristics of the Dresden State Art Collections (Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden), one of Europe’s oldest museums, in connection with the Saxon monarchs’ collecting activities and their methods of exhibition. Today’s Dresden State Art Collections trace their roots to the Cabinet of Art and Marvels (Kunstkammer) founded in 1560. Along with the arts policies of the Saxon monarchs in the 18th century, the royal court’s collections at the time represented the authority of the rulers and served as a medium for promoting the ideas of public education. Such trends are evident from the fact that the Zwinger, the architectural statement of an absolute monarch, was selected as the Royal Cabinet of Mathematical and Physical Instruments, the Palais des sciences, by Augustus II the Strong. Also, as the court’s collections became more accessible to the public after the reign of Augustus II the Strong, their character as a public educational institution (école publique) was emphasized to encourage more refined tastes among the public through art. The systematic classification of the collections, together with their unique exhibition spaces and public character in the golden age of Saxony, played a leading role in shaping the form and function of the Dresden State Art Collections, along with the display of the special collections. Dresden was severely damaged in the bombings by Allied Forces in 1945. After a long restoration process, Dresden-a city whose cultural heritage dates back to the era of Augustus and the arrival of Raphael’s Sistine Madonna-has finally reclaimed its status as the “Florence on the Elbe (Elbflorenz)” where many artists visit and make their home even today.

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