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Büste der Anima Dannata

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.

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View of the exhibition with Giambologna’s "Equestrian Statuette of Grand Duke Ferdinando I de’ Medici (1549–1609)"
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View of the exhibition with Giambologna’s "Equestrian Statuette of Grand Duke Ferdinando I de’ Medici (1549–1609)"
View of the exhibition with small bronzes by Giovanni Francesco Susini
View of the exhibition with Ferdinando Tacca’s “Hercules Supporting the Heavens” and raptus groups in the background
View of the exhibition with equestrian statuettes and small bronzes
Orazio Albrizzi’s "Equestrian Statuette of Marcus Aurelius", Daniel Katz Family Trust, London, and Antico’s "Bust of Marcus Aurelius"
View of the exhibition with works by Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi
The "Dancing Faun" by Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi; in the background Giovanni Giuliani’s sandstone figure of the same name
View of the exhibition with busts after the antique by Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi
Giovanni Francesco Susini’s "Equestrian Statuette of Marcus Aurelius"; in the background the painting "The Triumphant Entry of Constantine into Rome" by Peter Paul Rubens, Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, The Clowes Collection
View of the exhibition with equestrian statuettes and small bronzes

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’. 

Adrian de Fries (1556–1626), Christ in Distress, 1607

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.

Giovanni Francesco Susini (1585–1653), Venus Chastising Cupid, 1638

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.

Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi (1656–1740) after Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598–1680), Bust of Anima Beata, 1705–07

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.

Pier Jacopo Alari-Bonacolsi, called Antico (c. 1455–1528), Bust of Marcus Aurelius, c. 1500
Pier Jacopo Alari-Bonacolsi, called Antico (c. 1455–1528), Hercules with the Lion’s Skin, c. 1500

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.

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Galleria dei Lavori (est. 1588), Baccio Cappelli (died c. 1751), Girolamo Ticciati (1671–1744), Badminton Cabinet, 1720–23
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Badminton Cabinet
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Badminton Cabinet

1720-32


Galleria dei Lavori (founded in 1588)

Baccio Cappelli (died around 1751)

Girolamo Ticciati (1671–1744)


to object

Spring

1720–32


Girolamo Ticciati (1671–1744)

Summer

1720–32


Girolamo Ticciati (1671–1744)

Autumn

1720–32


Girolamo Ticciati (1671–1744)

Winter

1720–32


Girolamo Ticciati (1671–1744)

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.

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Lion Aquamanile, c. 1220/30, Dommuseum Hildesheim, jointly owned by Stiftung Niedersachsen and Ernst von Siemens Kunststiftung, inv. 2006–1 © Dommuseum Hildesheim, Foto: Florian Monheim
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Lion Aquamanile

c. 1220/30



Dommuseum Hildesheim, jointly owned by Stiftung Niedersachsen and Ernst von Siemens Kunststiftung, inv. 2006–1

© Dommuseum Hildesheim, Foto: Florian Monheim

Eagle Lectern

3rd decade of 13th century



Dommuseum Hildesheim, inv. D 1984-2

© Dommuseum Hildesheim, Foto: Florian Monheim

Mars

c. 1590 (model before 1587)


Giambologna (Douai 1529–1608 Florenz), model, Antonio Susini (Florence 1558–1624 Florence), cast ?


Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum, Kunstmuseum der 3Landesmuseen Braunschweig, inv. Bro 106

© bpk / Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum / B.-P. Keiser

Duke Heinrich Julius of Brunswick-Lüneburg on Horseback

c. 1605


Adriaen de Fries (The Hague 1556–1626 Prague)


Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum, Kunstmuseum der 3Landesmuseen Braunschweig, inv. Bro 178

© bpk / Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum / C. Cordes

Crucifixion

1570/1575


Guglielmo della Porta (Porlezza c. 1500/10–1577 Rome)


Budapest, Szépművészeti Múzeum, inv. 51.927

© Szépművészeti Múzeum/ Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest 2022

Mounted Warrior

Early 16th century


Leonardo da Vinci (Anchiano near Vinci 1452–1519 Amboise), attr


Budapest, Szépművészeti Múzeum, inv. 5362

© Szépművészeti Múzeum/ Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest 2022

The Rape of Europa

c. 1490–1495


Bartolomeo Bellano (Padua 1437/38–1496/97 Padua), attr.


Budapest, Szépművészeti Múzeum, inv. 5363

© Szépművészeti Múzeum/ Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest 2022

Perseus Freeing Andromeda

1545


Benvenuto Cellini (Florence 1500–1571 Florence)


Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Inv.-Nr. 483 Bronzi

2022 © Photo Scala, Florence

Triumphant Entry of Constantine into Rome

c. 1621


Peter Paul Rubens (Siegen 1577–1640 Antwerp)


Indianapolis, Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields, The Clowes Collection, Inv.-Nr. 2001.237

Courtesy of the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields

The Agony of Christ on the Mount of Olives

c. 1730s


Georg Raphael Donner (Essling 1693–1741 Vienna)


Daniel Katz Family Trust, London

© Daniel Katz Family Trust, London

Equestrian Group of Marcus Aurelius

1624


Orazio Albrizzi (doc. 1612–1651 in Piacenza and Rome)


Daniel Katz Family Trust, London

© Daniel Katz Family Trust, London

Apollo

c. 1500


Unknown Master, Northern Italy, probably Mantua


Daniel Katz Family Trust, London, on long-term loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London

© Daniel Katz Family Trust, London

 

Bellerophon Taming Pegasus

c. 1481/82


Bertoldo di Giovanni (Florence c. 1440–1491 Poggio a Caiano), modelling, ADRIANO DI GIOVANNI DE’ MAESTRO, called ADRIANO FIORENTINO (Florence c. 1450/60–1499 Florence), cast


Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Kunstkammer, inv. KK 5596

© KHM, Wien

Christ at the Column

c. 1613/15


Adriaen de Fries (The Hague 1556–1626 Prague)


Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Kunstkammer, inv. KK 8908

© KHM, Wien

Hercules and Antaeus

c. 1519


Pier Jacopo Alari de Bonacolsi, called Antico (Mantua 1455–1528 Gazzuolo)


Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Kunstkammer, inv. KK 5767

© KHM, Wien

Striding Youth with Drapery

c. 1500


Anonymous Master, Mantua


Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Kunstkammer, inv. KK 6023

© KHM, Wien

Head of Jupiter

1st century CE


roman


Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Antikensammlung, inv. ANSA VI 9

© KHM, Wien

Mercury in Flight

End of 16th century


Giambologna (Douai 1529–1608 Florence), studio


Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Kunstkammer, inv. KK 5817

© KHM, Wien

Pilgrim, St James the Greater ?

c. 1500/10


Peter Vischer d. Ä. (Nuremberg c. 1460–1529 Nuremberg), attr.


Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Kunstkammer, inv. KK6026

© KHM, Wien

Lost-Wax Bronze Casting

© Victoria and Albert Museum, London

Büste des Marc Aurel

Objects in 3D

Discover objects from the Princely Collections in 3D
 

Zu den 3D-Modellen

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.

Exhibited objects

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Merkur

Mercury

François Duquesnoy
c. 1630/40

Merkur

Mercury

François Duquesnoy
c. 1630/40

Apollo und Cupido

Apollo and Cupid

François Duquesnoy
c. 1630/40

Apollo und Cupido

Apollo and Cupid

François Duquesnoy
c. 1630/40

Büste eines Jünglings (Alexander der Grosse?)

Bust of a Youth (Alexander the Great?)

Pier Jacopo Alari-Bonacolsi, called Antico
c. 1520

Büste eines Jünglings (Alexander der Grosse?)

Bust of a Youth (Alexander the Great?)

Pier Jacopo Alari-Bonacolsi, called Antico
c. 1520

Christus im Elend

Christ in Distress

Adrian de Fries
1607

Christus im Elend

Christ in Distress

Adrian de Fries
1607

Venus Medici

Medici Venus

Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi, after antiquity
c. 1699-1702

Venus Medici

Medici Venus

Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi, after antiquity
c. 1699-1702

Merkur

Mercury

Adrian de Fries
c. 1612/15

Merkur

Mercury

Adrian de Fries
c. 1612/15

Der heilige Sebastian

St Sebastian

Adrian de Fries
c. 1613/14

Der heilige Sebastian

St Sebastian

Adrian de Fries
c. 1613/14

Reiterstatuette des Grossherzogs Ferdinando I. de' Medici (1549–1609)

Equestrian Statuette of Grand Duke Ferdinando I de’ Medici (1549–1609)

Giambologna
c. 1600

Reiterstatuette des Grossherzogs Ferdinando I. de' Medici (1549–1609)

Equestrian Statuette of Grand Duke Ferdinando I de’ Medici (1549–1609)

Giambologna
c. 1600

Landschaft mit römischen Ruinen

Landscape with Roman Ruins

Herman Posthumus
1536

Landschaft mit römischen Ruinen

Landscape with Roman Ruins

Herman Posthumus
1536

Marsyas oder heiliger Sebastian

Marsyas or St Sebastian

Andrea Mantegna
c. 1500

Marsyas oder heiliger Sebastian

Marsyas or St Sebastian

Andrea Mantegna
c. 1500

Venus straft den Amorknaben

Venus Chastising Cupid

Giovanni Francesco Susini
1638

Venus straft den Amorknaben

Venus Chastising Cupid

Giovanni Francesco Susini
1638

Venus verbrennt die Pfeile Amors

Venus Burning Cupid’s Arrows

Giovanni Francesco Susini
1638

Venus verbrennt die Pfeile Amors

Venus Burning Cupid’s Arrows

Giovanni Francesco Susini
1638

Schildhalter

Shield Bearer

Bertoldo di Giovanni
c. 1470/80

Schildhalter

Shield Bearer

Bertoldo di Giovanni
c. 1470/80

David mit dem Haupte Goliaths

David with the Head of Goliath

Giovanni Francesco Susini
c. 1625/30

David mit dem Haupte Goliaths

David with the Head of Goliath

Giovanni Francesco Susini
c. 1625/30

Büste der Anima Dannata

Bust of Anima Dannata

Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi, after Gian Lorenzo Bernini
1705-07

Büste der Anima Dannata

Bust of Anima Dannata

Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi, after Gian Lorenzo Bernini
1705-07

Büste der Anima Beata

Bust of Anima Beata

Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi, after Gian Lorenzo Bernini
1705-07

Büste der Anima Beata

Bust of Anima Beata

Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi, after Gian Lorenzo Bernini
1705-07

Nessus raubt Dejaneira

Deianira Abducted by the Centaur Nessus

Antonio Susini, after Giambologna
c. 1600

Nessus raubt Dejaneira

Deianira Abducted by the Centaur Nessus

Antonio Susini, after Giambologna
c. 1600

Raub einer Sabinerin (dreifigurige Raptusgruppe)

Rape of a Sabine Woman (three-figure raptus group)

Antonio Susini, attributed to after Giambologna
c. 1600 (model 1582)

Raub einer Sabinerin (dreifigurige Raptusgruppe)

Rape of a Sabine Woman (three-figure raptus group)

Antonio Susini, attributed to after Giambologna
c. 1600 (model 1582)

Bacchus

Bacchus

Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi, after Michelangelo Buonarroti
1695-1703

Bacchus

Bacchus

Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi, after Michelangelo Buonarroti
1695-1703

Reiterstatuette des Marc Aurel

Equestrian Statuette of Marcus Aurelius

Pier Jacopo Alari-Bonacolsi, called Antico
Early 16th century

Reiterstatuette des Marc Aurel

Equestrian Statuette of Marcus Aurelius

Pier Jacopo Alari-Bonacolsi, called Antico
Early 16th century

Tanzender Faun

Dancing Faun

Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi, after antiquity
1695-97

Tanzender Faun

Dancing Faun

Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi, after antiquity
1695-97

Kniende Badende

Kneeling Woman Bathing

Giovanni Francesco Susini, after Giambologna
2nd quarter of the 17th century

Kniende Badende

Kneeling Woman Bathing

Giovanni Francesco Susini, after Giambologna
2nd quarter of the 17th century

Triumph der Tugend über das Laster

Triumph of Virtue over Vice

Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi, after Giambologna
c. 1701/06

Triumph der Tugend über das Laster

Triumph of Virtue over Vice

Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi, after Giambologna
c. 1701/06

Kindlicher Bacchant, die Flügel Amors stutzend

Child Bacchant Clipping Cupid’s Wings

Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi
1695

Kindlicher Bacchant, die Flügel Amors stutzend

Child Bacchant Clipping Cupid’s Wings

Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi
1695

Der Friede umarmt die Gerechtigkeit

Peace Embraces Justice

Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi
1694

Der Friede umarmt die Gerechtigkeit

Peace Embraces Justice

Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi
1694

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