The Baroque to Classicism Collections bear clerical and secular evidence of courtly and everyday culture of the Baroque and Rococo as well as masterpieces of the Classicism, influenced by the Zeitgeist of Enlightenment. From the beginning high-quality folk art from Northern Germany, the Vierlande in particular, has as well been integrated into the collection on a systematic basis.

Some splendid highlights can be found in the collection of wood carvings, bronzes and terracotta models from Italy, France, Germany, England and the Netherlands. In addition to the outstanding works of religious, secular or mythological content, such as Filippo Parodi’s Four Seasons, it is above all the terracottas, which establish the collection’s international ranking; Domenico Guidi’s model for a marble sculpture glorifying the deeds of King Louis XIV is just one example. Masterworks of Baroque ivory art from the 17th and 18th centuries including Leonhard Kern’s Adam and Eve or the portrait bust by Johann Christoph Ludwig Lücke add to the range of the collection.

The preeminent holdings of European faiences and porcelain include exemplary pieces by the most important manufacturers, and make this assembly one of the most significant collections in Germany. Goldsmithery, with its many representative exhibits, constitutes another highlight of the collection. Good examples are the only recently acquired Hamburger Sideboard Dish by Dirich Utermarke and the early Classicist silver tureen by Robert-Joseph August from Paris, belonging to the MKG since 1911 and still remaining unequalled in any German museum. The furniture, coming mainly from the territory of Germany, has been systematically collected with careful consideration of the evolution of furniture.

The works range from medieval chests, up to the Classicist multipurpose furniture, such as the mechanical console from Roentgen’s workshop. Its innovative design marks the beginning of serial production and thus makes way for Modernity.