IN 1942 some of the greatest artefacts of the German Baroque
were taken from the Green Vault in Dresden, where they had been
displayed barring a few interruptions since 1732, to Fortress
Königstein 30 kilometres (19 miles) away. Wonderful works in
ivory, jewellery, silver and gold thus escaped the Allied
bombing of February 13th 1945 which devastated the city. But
three months later a victorious Red Army carted them off to
Russia.   Hidden charms  By a miracle of Soviet diplomacy the
whole lot—including Ivan the Terrible's solid gold drinking
bowl—was returned to communist Dresden in 1958. Some of the
pieces have been on show since 1974, and two years ago 1,000 of
the best works were given a new home on the first floor of the
schloss which is the centrepiece of an increasingly sumptuous
baroque city. But it has taken nearly half a century for 3,000
more pieces to be put on display one floor below, in the
original Green Vault.  The Historic Green Vault—not to be
confused with the two-year-old New Green Vault u