Ο Έλβας, ποταμός της Δρέσδης

000102 Fritz Beckert, Elbe, the river of Dresden, n.d., lithograph, 42 × 50 cm

Fritz Beckert, professor of architectural design at the Dresden Academy, became famous for his Baroque and Rococo architectural views of the cities of the German north. In his work, Dresden retained a primary role and he often depicted the city's great buildings. Dresden, built on the banks of the Elbe river, gained power and pan-European prestige when Frederick Augustus I, the elector of Saxony, received the crown of Poland as Augustus II the Mighty in 1697. In the years that followed, emblematic buildings such as the Zwinger complex, the Japanese Palace, the Holy Trinity Cathedral (Hofkirche), etc. were built. In this particular lithograph by Beckert, the Elbe River is depicted. A large barge for transporting goods (such as coal) dominates the first level. Behind, however, the tone is set by a section of the famous August Bridge, built between 1727-1731, on the right, and the Hofkirche on the left, with its characteristic baroque bell tower rising into the sky. On the left, the riverfront is blocked by the courthouse. The painter-engraver adopts a realistic style, painting the urban space in detail, betraying both his relationship with architectural design and his interest in capturing some important landmarks of the great German city.