Grünes Gewölbe: Napoleon and "The Fainting of Esther"

Ein Wandteppich zeigt eine Frau, die in Ohnmacht fällt und mehrere Personen um sie herum

Napoleon and "The Fainting of Esther"

An imperial gift for the first King of Saxony

After 80 years, a masterpiece of Parisian court art that was thought to have been lost is returning to Dresden's Residenzschloss: the tapestry "The Fainting of Esther", created in 1791 after a painting by Antoine Coypel.

Exhibition Site Residenzschloss

DATES 11/03/2023—05/06/2023

The tapestry was woven in the Manufacture Royale des Gobelins and was part of a lavish array of gifts presented by Napoleon Bonaparte to the first King of Saxony, Friedrich August I., in 1809. The latter owed his royal status to the French Emperor and in that year he travelled to Paris to visit his benefactor. The tapestry was given a prominent place in the dining room of the palace. In 1943, it was moved to Schleinitz Castle near Meissen for safekeeping, but after 1945 its whereabouts were unknown. It resurfaced unexpectedly on the art market in 2020.

Along with a selection of porcelain objects that were also gifts from Napoleon Bonaparte, supplemented by medals and portraits, as well as unique mementos of both French Emperor Napoleon and King Friedrich August I. held in the Dresden Rüstkammer, the tapestry is now on display again for the first time.