Artefacts held by the Dresden State Art Collections in eastern Germany are currently being exhibited at the Musée du Luxembourg in Paris.
The exhibits, which include bowls made of ivory and mother of pearl in the form of a narwhal or snail, copperplate engravings and precious hat jewellery, are among around 100 artefacts from the collection of the Saxon Electors being shown at the "Mirror of the World" exhibition until January 15 next year.
They include scientific instruments and books from the 16th to 18th centuries and will be exhibited alongside contemporary works by artists like Marcel Odenbach, Peggy Buth and Mark Dion.
The Dresden State Art Collections are one of Europe's oldest and the first to be opened to a wider public. They are owned by the German state of Saxony.
