102 THE “KAB INET T DER ROSALBA” : THE GROWING PRESENCE OF PASTEL PAINT ING IN DRESDEN Although Augustus the Strong had begun Dresden’s pastel collection, it was his son who really developed it, with the majority of his pastel acquisitions being works by Carriera. After his initial visit to Venice while still crown prince, Augustus III returned many times after assuming the throne as King of Poland, and Rosalba Carriera regularly sent her pastels to Dresden. The 1728 inventory of the Royal Collections numbers 157 works by Rosalba Carriera, and today the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister houses around 73 of her pastels.5 The idea of putting the Royal Collections on public display was formulated in 1745/46 and realised with the opening of the Gemäldegalerie (fig. 3) in 1748. Although the painting collection was impressive in itself, it was the Pastellkabinett that intrigued many visitors, as it was the first time that pastels were displayed for public rather than private appreciation.6 The scope of the pastel collection was truly a testament to the king’s personal taste and admiration for the medium, which only increased thanks to his frequent patronage of Rosalba’s workshop. The cabinet was aptly dubbed the “Kabinett der Rosalba” despite there being works by other artists in it, including those of Jean-Étienne Liotard and Maurice Quentin de la Tour.7 Fig. 3 CHR I ST IAN GOT TLOB HAMMER The Old Gemäldegalerie (Johanneum, Electoral Mews) in Dresden, from: Rittners Dresden mit seinen Prachtgebäuden c. 1810 c. 1810, etching, 202 × 259 mm (plate) Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Kupferstich-Kabinett, inv. no. A 131531
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