Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi (1656–1740) after Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680), Bust of Anima Dannata, 1705–07
CAST FOR ETERNITY. The Bronzes of the Princes of Liechtenstein
Vienna, Liechtenstein Garden Palace
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1.3.2023 – 31.3.2023
Vienna, Liechtenstein Garden Palace
The Princely Collections hold one of the most valuable collections of bronzes in the world, and this will now be showcased in a special exhibition with free admission to be held from 1 to 31 March 2023. Alongside superb works of art from the collection such as the “Bust of Marcus Aurelius” by Antico, the monumental „bust of Grand Duke Ferdinando I de’ Medici“ by Pietro Tacca, and Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi’s “Anima Dannata”, the exhibition will also include high-calibre international loans.
2022 saw the launch of a new series of special exhibitions at the Liechtenstein Garden Palace. The first of the temporary shows, “THE CONSTANT PRINCE – Joseph Wenzel and His Art”, was a huge success, with some 24,000 visitors taking the opportunity to view the exhibition in March 2022. Each year the exhibition will be devoted to princely personalities, the history of princely collecting, new acquisitions, selected aspects of the collections and new perspectives on the artistic contexts of the holdings. Admission is free.
The beginnings of bronze casting
Even in the early advanced civilizations bronze sculptures played an important role. In the Greece and Rome, bronze sculpture reached a pinnacle of achievement that would leave its mark on all later Western art – from the Romanesque, Renaissance and Baroque, continuing through the nineteenth century right up to the present day.
From the early modern era, the technical proficiency attained in the casting of bells, mortars and canons led to the development of figural bronze casting. The achievements in this field are documented in the monumental portals and large fonts in the major cathedrals of the Romanesque era, later reaching a magnificent climax in the reliefs of the doors of the Baptistery and the larger-than-life-size single figures of the Florentine Renaissance as well as the small-scale statuettes produced there and in other cultural centres of Italy such as Milan, Padua and Rome.
The acquisition of the first bronze sculptures under Prince Karl I
With the commissioning and acquisition of major bronze sculptures at the beginning of the seventeenth century, the Princes of Liechtenstein set a spectacularly high bar that was to be a benchmark for the collecting activities of all succeeding generations of the dynasty.
In 1600 Emperor Rudolf II appointed Prince Karl I head of the imperial household and president of the Privy Council and thus de facto minister for government affairs at Prague Castle, the seat of government, where the emperor resided until his death in 1612. As ‘palatine’, Karl was also in charge of the emperor’s collections of art and the resident court artists. In 1607 he commissioned one of the most important artists, Adrian de Fries, with the figure of “Christ in Distress” for his own collections, followed a few years later by the equally monumental “St Sebastian” (1613/14). From correspondence between Karl and the emperor from 1597 we know that by this date he already possessed a significant collection of ‘superb and extraordinary pieces and paintings’.
Bronze casts: “the suitable medium for a collector north of the Alps”
His successor Prince Karl Eusebius I von Liechtenstein continued this policy of acquisition and collecting, also penning a treatise for his ‘beloved son’ Johann Adam Andreas I. In this work he instructed him not only to acquire art as an enduring proof of his own capabilities and those of the dynasty but also emphasized in particular the importance of bronze sculpture in securing undying renown.
Karl Eusebius acquired small-scale reductions of the monumental stone figures of Giambologna in Florence and other models by the master’s hand in early casts by Antonio and Giovanni Francesco Susini. The prince regarded Greek and Roman originals as unobtainable for those such as himself, since they were the preserve of the popes and the upper echelons of the Roman nobility, but considered bronze casts a suitable medium for a collector north of the Alps.
Copies of Roman antiquities and contemporary models
Prince Johann Adam Andreas I von Liechtenstein largely followed his father’s instructions, even seeking and receiving permission from the Medici to have copies made of Roman antique statues in their possession in Florence and Rome. The ‘copyist’ in this case was Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi, from whom the prince first commissioned copies of the two marble statues of the Tribuna in the Uffizi, the “Venus Medici” and the “Satyr”. Soldani-Benzi also supplied further copies of antique busts of the emperors, as well as more modern works such as the “Bacchus” after Michelangelo or copies of the “Anima Beata” and “Anima Dannata” after the originals by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
Collecting in the tradition of predecessors
From now on almost all the Liechtenstein princes acquired major works in bronze. Prince Joseph Wenzel I brought the first model for the equestrian statue of Ferdinando I de’ Medici into the collections, one of the rare signed works of Giambologna. Antico’s fascinating “Bust of a Youth (Alexander the Great?)” was acquired for the Princely Collections before 1807. In 1894 Prince Johann II was able to add the monumental and strikingly realistic “Bust of a Roman” by Ludovico Lombardo to the Collections.
Fortunately, the holdings of bronzes were virtually unaffected by the sales that had to be made from the Collections following the Second World War. Losses such as the “Anima Dannata” (reacquired in the meantime) constituted the exception. Bronzes were under-appreciated in the 1950s and beyond, and would not have realized very high prices, a situation that has fundamentally changed over the intervening years.
Important acquisitions made by Prince Hans-Adam II
The present Reigning Prince Hans-Adam II von und zu Liechtenstein has an especial predilection for bronzes and has succeeded in making a number of spectacular acquisitions that have made the collection of bronzes past and and present one of the most important worldwide. Andrea Mantegna’s “Marsyas or St Sebastian”, Jacopo Sansovino’s “St John the Baptist”, Antico’s early reduced version of the “Laocoon Group”, his “Hercules with the Lion’s Skin”, his reduction of the monument of Emperor Marcus Aurelius on the Capitoline, and above all the monumental, heavily fire-gilt “Bust of Marcus Aurelius” constitute the apogee of the art of the Renaissance bronze. The series of monumental portraits of rulers in bronze continues into the eighteenth century with the “Bust of Pope Alexander VIII” by Domenico Guidi and the exuberantly Berniniesque “Bust of Maximilian II Emanuel, Elector of Bavaria” by Guillielmus de Grof.
Gilt bronze
From antiquity onwards, the splendour of such bronzes had been intended to secure the eternal glory of the subject. From there on, the aura of gilt bronze continued via medieval works to the ‘bronze doré’ mounts of High Baroque Italian and French furniture. One of the most stunning examples of this use of precious materials is the Badminton Cabinet, crowned by the fire-gilt allegories of the “Four Seasons” designed by Girolamo Ticciati, one of the last great exponents of the Florentine tradition of bronze sculpture. These figures will be on display at eye level in the exhibition, proving that they are not just decorative trappings but more than capable of holding their own as autonomous works of art.
The section dealing with gilt bronze also includes the elegantly ornate cartel clocks of the late eighteenth century with the superb artistry of their ornamentation complemented by the entrancing sound they make when they strike.
Bronze reliefs and further highlights
A further section of the exhibition is devoted to the bronze relief. Here, too, the Collections boast substantial holdings in the field of early plaques and medals, including Antonio Pisano’s depiction of Niccolò Piccinino and Francesco di Giorgio Martini’s “St Anthony Abbot”. The theme of the bronze relief in the Princely Collections can be explored in Pierino da Vinci’s (nephew of Leonardo) masterpiece “The Death of Count Ugolino della Gherardesca and His Sons” and examples from the Florentine High Baroque by Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi. Among the latter is the panel acquired by Prince Hans-Adam II depicting “Christ on the Mount of Olives”, with its exceptionally fine Florentine lacquer patina that almost seems to shimmer like gold.
Loans from other museums and collections
These holdings of objects from the Princely Collections are enhanced with select loans from other museums and collections, providing further special accents and highlights in this superlative interplay of outstanding works of art.
Lost-Wax Bronze Casting
© Victoria and Albert Museum, London
The catalogue in German can be purchased on the Brandstätter Publishing website as well as at the Hofkellerei shop (open Tuesday to Saturday 12 am–7 pm).
The catalogue accompanying the 2022 exhibition "THE CONSTANT PRINCE. Joseph Wenzel I von Liechtenstein and his Art" is also available.
CAST FOR ETERNITY. The Bronzes of the Princes of Liechtenstein: 38,– EUR
THE CONSTANT PRINCE. Joseph Wenzel I von Liechtenstein and his Art: 38,– EUR
BOOK SET – both catalogs in a set of 2: 50,– EUR
The catalogues are available only in German.
Website Brandstätter Publishing
In 2024 a catalogue accompanying the exhibition "HERCULES OF THE ARTS. Johann Adam Andreas I. and Vienna around 1700" was published and can be purchased on the Hirmer Publishers website and bookstores as well as at the Hofkellerei shop (open Tuesday to Saturday 12 am–7 pm).
38,– EUR (D) / 39,10 EUR (A)
MARCH AT THE PALACE
The temporary exhibition is the second one in the series entitled MARCH AT THE PALACE, which is presented annually and can be viewed free of charge. It focuses on individual princes, the history of princely collecting, new acquisitions, restoration projects and different fields within the Collections, exploring new contexts and connections. Between 1 and 31 March guided tours of the permanent exhibition in the galleries of the piano nobile will be offered at more frequent intervals and reduced admission charges. For more information click here.
