Dresden war loss revealed: Imperial tapestry

Created: 07/01/2022Updated: 07/01/2022 11:46 am

The auction house Christie's in Munich.

© Frank Leonhardt/dpa/archive image

After eight decades, Saxony has regained another war loss from the royal collection with a valuable tapestry.

The missing tapestry "The Powerlessness of Esther" was offered to the auction house Christie's, which contacted the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (SKD) for the first time in September 2020, as the Ministry of Finance in Dresden announced on Friday.

Dresden - After months of negotiations, an agreement was reached on the return to the Free State.

The tapestry has been examined since June 2021, professionally cleaned and restored.

"The fainting of Esther" was a gift from France's Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte to the Saxon King Friedrich August I in 1809. After the end of the monarchy in Saxony, the tapestry remained part of the furnishings in the large dining room of the Dresden Residential Palace and was used with it in the Second brought to safety in World War II.

After its end, the treasure disappeared without a trace.

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