Book now The masterpieces of the Green Vault
From the Dresden Green Diamond to Dinglinger's Court of Delhi — a guide to the greatest objects in Europe's richest treasury.
Three thousand objects fill the Green Vault, but a handful are unmissable. Here's what to seek out, and the stories that make them extraordinary.
The Dresden Green Diamond
The vault's most celebrated jewel is the Dresden Green — a natural green diamond of about 41 carats, its colour caused by millions of years of natural radiation and so even and pure that it is effectively unique in the world. Augustus III acquired it in the 1740s, and it is set in an elaborate hat ornament with hundreds of white diamonds.
No other diamond of its size shares its colour; it is the single object most visitors come to see.
Dinglinger's Court of Delhi
The 'Court of Delhi on the Birthday of the Grand Mogul Aurangzeb' is a table-top world in gold and enamel: 137 figures, elephants and thrones, studded with some five thousand diamonds, rubies, emeralds and pearls, made by the court jeweller Johann Melchior Dinglinger and his brothers over seven years. It cost Augustus more than an entire palace.
It is widely regarded as the greatest single work of the German baroque, and it repays long looking.
The Moor with the Emerald Cluster
A life-size figure carved from pear wood and lacquered, bearing a natural cluster of Colombian emeralds on a tray — a striking, and today complicated, object that captures the age's taste for the exotic and the spectacular. It is one of the vault's most photographed pieces (in reproductions, since photography inside is not allowed).
Ivory, amber and rock crystal
Beyond the jewels, the Green Vault is a showcase of virtuoso craft: goblets and ships turned from single elephant tusks, towering constructions of Baltic amber, and vessels cut from flawless rock crystal. These rooms reward the patient eye more than the guidebook, and are often the quiet favourites of returning visitors.
The Pretiosensaal and the mirrored rooms
The Hall of Precious Objects is the vault's architectural climax: its mirrored walls and gilded brackets multiply the silver-gilt and vessels into a dazzling infinity, the effect Augustus designed to overwhelm his guests. It is the room that best explains why the Historic Green Vault feels unlike any other museum on earth.
Frequently asked
What is the most famous object in the Green Vault?
The Dresden Green Diamond — a unique 41-carat natural green diamond — and Dinglinger's jewelled 'Court of Delhi' are the two most celebrated.
Can I photograph the treasures?
No — photography is forbidden inside the Historic Green Vault. The included audio guide describes each highlight.
How many objects are there?
Around 3,000 across the historic rooms, the richest treasure collection in Europe.
Is the Green Diamond always on show?
It is part of the collection, but its display can move between the two Green Vaults — ask us if seeing it specifically is a priority.
What's the greatest single work?
Dinglinger's 'Court of Delhi', widely considered the supreme masterpiece of the German baroque.