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Dresden, DE: Plague - Cholera - Corona

Started by chrisild, August 21, 2023, 02:00:38 AM

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chrisild

The Coin Cabinet in Dresden, Saxony (Germany) currently shows an exhibition called "Plague, Cholera and Corona – Epidemics yesterday and today". Some info in German is here: https://muenzkabinett.skd.museum/ausstellungen/pest-cholera-und-corona/

In case you wonder about the language toggle thingie: The Coin Cabinet pages are available in English too. But this particular exhibition page is in German only. Well, use your gray matter or favorite online translator. ;D Here is some text from that page, translated into English ...

Epidemics have always posed challenges to mankind, but they have also triggered social change and medical progress. On the basis of coins and medals, the epidemics of the past and present will be illuminated with regard to the perception of their contemporaries, their fears and hopes. The exhibition spans the period between the "Antonine Plague" (165 - 180 AD) and the Corona Pandemic (from 2019) with a special focus on plague medals and plague talers of the early modern period.

The exhibition will be open until 1 April 2024. Well, Dresden is a bit far from here (and these days I am even farther away - SoCal), but some exhibits can also be viewed online.

Figleaf

Wandering through the website, I found these statistics: Die Staatlichen Kunstsammlungen Dresden haben über 1 Million Objekte, davon sind 19.985 gerade ausgestellt und in der Online Collection befinden sich 358.504. - The Dresden State Art Collections have over 1 million objects, 19,985 of which are currently on display and 358,504 are in the Online Collection.

Food for thought. Far more online than on display. How relevant is it that Dresden is far away?

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

chrisild

Quote from: Figleaf on August 21, 2023, 08:08:06 AMHow relevant is it that Dresden is far away?

Guess the answer depends on what you focus on. ;) Yes, most of the exhibits are apparently available online – did not know those figures, thanks for the info! However, if you are interested in this particular exhibition (Plague/Cholera/Corona), the answer may well be different. I mean, why do museums have temporary "thematic" exhibitions? They organize and structure their exhibits (some may even be on loan, don't know about this show) and present them in a very specific way, with comments and embedded in some historical context.

Of course that could also be done with an online exhibition, useful especially when the exhibits are small-ish. But that should still be a "theme show", with info boards and such. Does the online presentation of all the coins they have in Dresden achieve this the same way? Hmm. Besides, some people may say, oh, I have vague plans of going to Dresden for sightseeing ... now they have one more reason to go. :)