Bringing History to Life

Behind the Scenes of the Princely Treasury in Darmstadt (Part 1)

A tour with Dr. Wolfgang Glüber through the Hessische Landesmuseum Darmstadt is a vibrant ride through history. Since the turn of the millennium, he has been responsible as curator for the decorative arts from 1500 onward—and thus also for the Princely Treasury with all its treasures: noble drinking games, elegant ivory goblets, and delicate carvings.

With quick steps, Wolfgang Glüber moves through the corridors and rooms of his second home, always somewhat on the go given his tightly packed schedule. Yet he still takes the time here and there for a friendly greeting or a brief chat. Polite, calm, reserved—that’s how he is known here.

But as soon as he enters “his” venerable halls, all restraint disappears. This is especially true for the Princely Treasury, a small but particularly fascinating part of the decorative arts collections. Here, where light beams are meticulously aligned to fall through the bulletproof glass of the display cases, rest the precious objects of the great landgraves and grand dukes of past centuries. And at the sight of the blinking and glittering exhibits, Glüber begins to enthuse anew every time. The Expulsion from Paradise by Leonard Kern is among the highlights of the exhibition area. Glüber can barely keep his hands still; his eyes shine as he looks at the delicate depiction of Adam and Eve carved from boxwood. “The way Kern conveyed all the emotions through facial expression and gesture—defence, despair, resignation. That is great art in a small format.” Yet despite his enthusiasm, he always manages to place the work in the context of its time. It is to be understood as a “conversation piece,” created to spark discussion among its former viewers—about the nuances of the depiction as well as religion more broadly.

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