Fürstenzug, Porcelain wall painting at Augustusstrasse, Dresden, Germany
The Fürstenzug is a 101.9-metre porcelain mural on the outer north wall of the Stallhof at Dresden Castle, made of about 23,000 Meissen tiles, each 20.5 cm square. It shows 35 Wettin rulers on horseback from Conrad (1127) to George (1904), with 59 accompanying figures; names are inscribed below each rider. A yellow diamond-patterned ground and borders with inscriptions and medallions frame the procession.
Wilhelm Walther created the original work in 1876 using the sgraffito technique on the plaster of the stable wall. Between 1904 and 1907, artists replaced the entire image with durable porcelain tiles to protect it from weather and decay.
The name comes from the medieval word for the Saxon lords of the ruling house, shown here mounted on horseback and dressed in traditional costume. Today visitors step up close to the wall to examine the details of armor and faces rendered in the glossy ceramic tiles.
The wall painting runs along Augustusstrasse between Schlossplatz and Neumarkt, so visitors can walk its entire length on foot. Daylight makes the glazed tiles glow, so the middle hours of the day are favorable for viewing.
During the bombings of 1945, the porcelain painting remained almost completely intact while most buildings around it were destroyed. Only about two hundred of the many thousands of tiles needed to be replaced after the war.
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