Pigments, Resin and Gold leaf ...

The faithful restoration of the chamber housing Saxony's crown jewels was accomplished through the teamwork of contractors, scholars, restorers, technicians and craftsmen closely working hand in hand. Our own workshop was also able to be involved in a considerable amount of the reconstructive process in this famed jewel chamber. Our decades-long experience as restorers in the field of original, authentic interior design and decorative art of the Baroque made our work therein notably easier. For instance, meticulously evaluating old photographs of the rooms' once-ruined splendor was a time-consuming task that formed one of the foundations of our work in the charred chamber. This aspect, however, wasn't merely enough. A specialized knowledge of baroque color-technology, as well as an acquaintance with the stylistic peculiarities for this area as apparent in the province of Saxony, was of equal importance. Therefore, we restorers had to work closely together with natural scientists in order to gain much needed knowledge about the pigments, binders and paint-layer structures that baroque artists had preferred and had actually used. These antique methods have little or nothing to do with our present-day paints, and this knowledge can only be acquired by studying time-honored formulas handed down through generations. Among the primary tasks in reconstructing the lost interior of Dresden's "Green Vault" were the implementation of traditional, baroque color technologies and gold leaf application methods.

We were so impressed and enthusiastic about this restorative, artistic and analytical challenge that a new idea was born in the process: we wanted to create a decorative egg, closely imitating the designs, materials and color-schemes of the famed jewel chamber. This "Jewel Chamber Egg" now exists: It is carved out of lime wood - the very same wood used in all carpentered components of the jewel chamber. The red lacquer coating, having been varnished in numerous layers, is identical to the carmine lacquer surfaces of the wall moldings, mirror surfaces and ceiling paintings in the jewel chamber. The paint is made of precisely the same, historically documented pigments and binders that were used in the reconstruction of the jewel chamber's luxurious décor: carmine red and alizarin madder lake pigments, linseed oil, dammar and mastic resin. We cited elements of the jewel chamber's numerous and varied ornamental forms - so very typical for the Baroque - in the egg's own gilded ornamentation. The striking, red-gold contrast, a very dominant factor in the jewel chamber's own color scheme, was accomplished by applying real gold leaf. The contours brushed upon the golden ribbons, lattices and acanthus leaves were applied using a reddish-brown paint made of resin and oil, causing the illusive effect of a raised surface, which had been so very important to courtly artists of the Baroque. Presenting this artistically formed and highly decorative egg in a specially designed, miniature display cabinet makes it a truly lasting and tangible memento of a visit to the jewel chamber.