The Old Masters Gallery, better known as the Dresden art gallery, is one of the most important fine art museums in the world. Unlike other European museums, it only comprises classic paintings of the 15th-18th centuries. Hence its official name, Old Masters Gallery (Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister).

About 750 original pictorial masterpieces were collected in different years by representatives of the Wettin royal dynasty. Today, this collection is a part of the Dresden State Art Collections and is in the public domain. However, this was not always the case. Once, these priceless paintings adorned the walls of the palace, and only the king and his people could enjoy the artworks.

The foundation of the gallery's collection was laid by the legendary ruler Augustus II the Strong. Not only did he rebuilt much of the city of Dresden to suit his impeccable taste, but he was also an avid art lover and founded the royal cabinet of fine arts. In addition to the paintings, the cabinet contained other art objects, like a small collection of porcelain, a collection of scientific instruments, and the oldest collection of graphics in Central Europe.

The king selected only the most valuable artworks and was guided only by the opinion of one person, the Italian writer Francesco Algarotti. Thanks to Algarotti, the king could build up the truly magnificent collection.

Augustus II did not stint on the pearls of the most famous European collections of the Middle Ages. He bought famous the canvases by the Czech admiral and passionate lover of painting Albrecht von Wallenstein, the paintings from the Prague royal gallery, "one hundred best works" from the collection of the Italian Duke of Modena, the immortal works by Titian, Correggio, and Velasquez.

The most valuable acquisitions and the most important treasures of the modern Dresden gallery are the paintings "Bei der Kupplerin" by the consummate artist Johannes Vermeer and "The Sistine Madonna" by the brilliant painter Raphael, brought from the Italian Catholic Church of San Sisto.