The Collections of the Princes von und zu Liechtenstein hold major works of European art from five centuries and are among the most important private collections in the world. The impressively restored Liechtenstein Garden Palace with the Sala terrena, Hercules Hall and the former Ladies’ Apartments, galleries and extensive gardens provides the perfect setting for these objects while also conveying an impression of aristocratic life.
The return of these art treasures to the historic ambience of the palace in the Rossau quarter in 2004 and their meticulous presentation are authentic testimony to the history of the House of Liechtenstein and its understanding and appreciation of art. The concept of the ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’ is transmitted to the visitor in these rooms through the synergy of the Baroque architecture with what has been preserved of the Baroque decoration: here the ceiling paintings by Antonio Bellucci and Marcantonio Franceschini, the frescos of Andrea Pozzo and Johann Michael Rottmayr, the sculptures by Giovanni Giuliani and the stuccowork of Santino Bussi enter into an instructive dialogue with the artworks on display, some of which were already on view here between 1810 and 1938.
Spanning a period from the fourteenth to the eighteenth century, the exhibited works have a special focus on the Baroque. In keeping with the principles of the historical display designed by the Berlin art historian Wilhelm von Bode at the behest of Prince Johann II von Liechtenstein (1840–1929), paintings, sculptures, tapestries and Kunstkammer objects are presented together, thus creating the refined and yet warm atmosphere of a family collection that set the Liechtenstein gallery apart from all others even in the nineteenth century and later provided a model for other private collections such as the Frick in New York.
The tour begins with the Golden Carriage at the centre of the Sala terrena and the Historical Library in the former Gentlemen’s Apartments. The history of the Library, with its neoclassical furnishings that were transferred from the now demolished residence of the Reigning Prince on Herrengasse is just as interesting as its holdings of books collected over the centuries.
Exhibited on the piano nobile of the palace are masterpieces from the Collections, arranged according to the most important schools and styles of European art history represented here.
The works in the first galleries range from early religious panel painting from Italy and Central Europe to portraits tracing the wide arc of styles from southern to northern Europe. Sculptures, bronzes and furniture also take a central role in this dialogue, allowing the visitor to experience the artistic context of the time at first hand.
The Great Gallery, centre of the piano nobile, is dominated by one of the Collections’ focal groups of works: the "Decius Mus cycle", conceived by Peter Paul Rubens and executed by the artist and his studio assistants. The cycle was originally displayed in exactly the same way when the Garden Palace opened as a gallery to the public for a fee from 1810.
Paintings that are identified with the Princely Collections such as Rubens’s personal portraits of his daughter Clara Serena and his sons Albert and Nicholas, his “Venus in front of the Mirror” or the portraits of Anthony van Dyck, above all the likeness of Maria de Tassis, complete the ensemble of the paintings by Rubens within the permanent presentation.
The bronzes on display in these galleries are of equal artistic significance, in particular two works that mark the beginning of the family’s commissioning and collecting of art at the start of the early seventeenth century: the life-size casts of “Christ in Distress” from 1607 and the later “St Sebastian” by Adrian de Fries with their untouched original patination.
Another focus lies in Italian and Dutch Baroque painting of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, artistic terrains that can be explored in fascinating constellations of masterpieces that change on a regular basis.
Applied arts objects and furniture play an important role in the overall ensemble. Without doubt the most important piece is the "Badminton Cabinet" located in the last gallery on the tour, the crowning glory of the pietre dure collection whose beginnings also lie in the seventeenth century. Commissioned in 1726 by Henry Somerset, 3rd duke of Beaufort, from the grand-ducal workshops of the Medici in Florence, the cabinet was completed in 1732 and was acquired for the Princely Collections in 2004. Together with other lapidary work on display in the same gallery, it attests to the ongoing acquisitions policy of the Princely House. The still lifes on the walls tie this work in perfectly with its cultural context at the zenith of the Baroque age.
Whereas the presentation of the Collections during the nineteenth century was characterized by its dense hanging, the priority today is not the quantity of works exhibited but their quality and visibility. The gallery draws its life from the stories that the works can tell in their interplay with one another, and from the regular changes that take place alongside the underlying continuity of the displays.
The galleries are subject to continual change, on the one hand through substantial new acquisitions and objects that arrive from the depots following restoration, and on the other through loans to other exhibitions and galleries that make substitution necessary from time to time. Discovering the familiar in new constellations or encountering new, previously unseen works always makes a visit to the palace an interesting and rewarding experience.
The permanent exhibition at the Liechtenstein Garden Palace can be viewed as part of a guided tour.*
RESERVATIONS FOR PUBLIC AND INDIVIDUAL GUIDED TOURS
* Please note that the exhibition galleries at the Liechtenstein Garden Palace and City Palace, the sale of tickets, and the events and guided tours at both palaces are operated by Liechtenstein Gruppe AG. The contract partner for your tour reservation is Liechtenstein Gruppe AG.
