Enfilade

From the Call for Papers posted at the Bibliotheca Hertziana:

Prime Minister and Patron: Heinrich Count von Brühl (1700–1763)
Dresden and Rome, March 2014

Proposals due by 15 October 2013

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After attaining the Polish Crown, the Wettin Elector pursued the expansion of Dresden in order to transform it into a prestigious residence. Dresden evolved in the 18th century as a cultural centre of the Reich with outstanding art collections and a particular concentration of artists, architects, composers and singers.

The Saxon Prime Minister Heinrich Count von Brühl (1700–1763) was a key figure in this development: he has been responsible for the art collections, including the purchase of works of art, as well as the Court Theatre, the Court Opera and of the Meissen porcelain factory. He was also a close advisor of the Elector and King – and thus as “the second man in the state” – responsible for all domestic, foreign and financial matters at the Dresden court. Using the nearly unrestricted freedom of choice associated with this position for his own gain, he also built up a considerable personal fortune, which was made up of capital, farms, factories, works of art and luxury goods. (more…)