Red – the colour of power. As you proceed through the State Apartment, you’ll realise that the further you go, the grander the appointments of the rooms become.
This dramatic escalation was part and parcel of showcasing the sovereign’s power. For example, all the rooms have wall coverings made of crimson silk velvet. But the textiles and trim made from precious metal threads and appliquéd to this base grow more and more elaborate as one approaches the Audience Chamber.
All the furniture that stood here in the first half of the 18th century also served to showcase August the Strong’s claim to rank and status. The best of the best was just about good enough for him. And during this period, that usually came from France, of course. In the 18th century, Paris was the centre for the production of luxury goods. August dispatched trusted buyers to the French capital to act for him. Among the items they purchased on his instruction were textiles for the wall coverings, paintings and bronzes as well as items of furniture and clocks. One of these buyers, or “agents”, was instructed to buy a suite of furniture because it was “fort du goût du Roy“ – loosely translated: “exactly in keeping with August the Strong’s idea of grand furniture”.
The furniture is decorated with inlays – what’s known as marquetry. Another term is Boulle furniture, after André Charles Boulle, who was court cabinet maker to Louis the Fourteenth. Along with the silver furniture, items of Boulle furniture are among the most prestigious pieces with which a ruler of rank could surround himself. When the Dresden State Apartment was being furnished in 1719, such pieces formed the largest group. Every one of the rooms featured furniture with inlay work.
