Berlin things

The Anet chest of drawers is part of the Stadtmuseum Berlin’s “Reichsbank furniture” collection. But how did this piece of French furniture end up at the Märkisches Museum, which specialises in the history of Berlin and Brandenburg? In this essay, we will provide insight into ongoing provenance research.

This horse’s head is all that remains of the original Quadriga, the sculpture that sits atop the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. But why did sculptor Johann Gottfried Schadow (1764-1850) design the Quadriga in the first place? And what role did Napoleon play in it?

Nearly five hundred silver pieces, including spoons, charm bracelets, children’s rattles and other objects, are stored in a metal cabinet in the Stadtmuseum Berlin’s collection depot. The objects originate from compulsory levies placed on Jewish people from 1939 onwards, and provide insight into a project that the Stadtmuseum Berlin has been carrying out since 1996 to clarify the provenance of each individual object.

They came to the Märkisches Museum as a transfer from the Ministry of Finance of the GDR in the 1950s: 47 French antiques from the 18th and 19th centuries. What does French furniture have to do with Berlin's urban history? A contribution from provenance research.

Using the example of 33 historical posters from the “Revolution” room of the BERLIN GLOBAL exhibition, curator Martin Düspohl explains the different positions, backgrounds and nuances of the public texts.

In the room "Free Space" at BERLIN GLOBAL there is an area dedicated to the theme of faith. There is a cross-religious sculpture - originally intended as an alternative to the cross on the dome of the Humboldt Forum. In the series "Favourite Object" we present the sculpture.