Stunning luxury the awesome Liechtenstein Art Collection
Odysseys of Art Masterpieces Liechtenstein art collection
Portrait of Clara Serena, daughter of the artist, 1616, Oil on canvas, Peter Paul Rubens
Princes of Liechtenstein Art Collection
Throughout the centuries the princes of this small country meticulously assembled the Liechtenstein art collection.
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For 400 years, each successive prince, with their differing views and personalities put their own personal stamp onto their acquisitions of art and antiques, creating a lasting family legacy and a collection of substantial value and worth.
Pietra dura tabletop with coat of arms of Prince Karl Eusebius I von Liechtenstein, Giuliano di Piero Pandolfini, Hardstone plaques, gilded brass, bronze, 1636
The modern principality of Liechtenstein is located between Switzerland and Austria.
A small country with a territory of only sixty-two square miles, it has a population of approximately 38,500 people governed by a constitutional hereditary monarchy that shares power with an elected parliament.
Portrait of Johann VIII (1583-1638), Count of Nassau-Siegen, About 1626-1627, Anthony van Dyck
Its current head of state, Prince Hans-Adam II von und zu Liechtenstein, is the reigning prince from the House of Liechtenstein that has led this principality since 1608.
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The Liechtenstein art collection, with thousands of paintings, Italian bronzes, drawings and engravings, tapestries, furniture, and masterpieces from the early Renaissance to the nineteenth century is renowned as one of the world’s most important private collections.
Medici Venus, Bronze, 1699-1702, Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi
The Hong Kong Palace Museum is hosting Odysseys of Art, Masterpieces Collected by the Princes of Liechtenstein, with an exhibition featuring select pieces.
Teapot with cover, Meissen Porcelain Manufactory, Germany, 1713, Decoration by Ignaz Preissler, 1725-1730
The central theme of the exhibition is the history of this European family and their long legacy of collecting.
Chest with the coat of arms of Karl I von Liechtenstein, Ottavio Miseroni, Castrucci Workshop, Prague, Inlaid hardstone plaques, garnets, ebony, gilded bronze, 1620-1623
Eight featured sections present the story of the Liechtenstein art collection. It begins with Karl I von Liechtenstein (1569-1627), the first Prince of the family, who started the collection.
Legacy of Karl I to Prince Hans-Adam II
Then the narrative progresses to Prince Johann Adam Andreas I (1657-1712), who acquired a substantial number of works by Peter Paul Rubens; to the current era and the efforts of Prince Hans-Adam II von und zu Liechtenstein (b. 1945) to rehabilitate the family fortune.
Portrait of Johann Adam Andreas I von Liechtenstein, 1706, Oil on canvas, Anton Peter van Roy
The exhibition begins with the history of the family and their rise to power and wealth. Then the narratives flow through the successive generations of princes and their changing tastes and artistic goals.
The Tax Collectors, Late 1520s, Quentin Massys
It touches on their substantial loss suffered during the Second World War, when the family lost a part of its holdings and resources through the uncompensated expropriation of its estates.
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The story continues with the reorganization of the princely enterprises and the family’s assets through the efforts of Prince Hans-Adam II, who created a solid economic basis for future activities, including the preservation, upkeep and expansion of the Liechtenstein art collection, making it accessible to the general public.
Mars and Rhea Silvia, 1616-1617, Oil on canvas, Peter Paul Rubens
He wanted to share the collection with others. So, by doing exhibitions such as this one in Hong Kong, the family’s long legacy of collecting and the story of how the immense number of objects (which includes 1,600 paintings, sculptures, decorative arts, and furniture) came into their possession, is now shared with the world.
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As a private collection still held by the family of Liechtenstein, the prince can decide to sell, acquire, buy and do what he wills with it.
Private collection open to public
Continuously adding to the collection with new pieces, this “living” collection is always changing.
Portrait of Princess Marie Franziska von Liechtenstein at the Age of Two, 1836, Friedrich von Amerling
The show at the Hong Kong Palace Museum presents a broad array of selected pieces of furniture, artefacts, artworks and especially paintings spanning the fourteenth to nineteenth century.
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A significant section presents the highlight of the exhibition with works by European masters Peter Paul Rubens and Anthony van Dyck.
The Conversion of Saint Paul, 1601-1602, Oil on canvas, Peter Paul Rubens
An astonishing sixteen paintings by Rubens and eight by van Dyck have been brought to Hong Kong for this show.
Satyr and Maid with Fruit Basket, About 1615, Peter Paul Rubens
Johann Adam Andreas I von Liechtenstein (1657-1712) enthusiastically collected their works.
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He was very wealthy and keen to acquire paintings from both painters.
Allegory of War, 1628, Oil on oak panel, Peter Paul Rubens
He instructed his art dealer to search for and acquire works and in doing so, built up one of the largest private collections of works by Rubens’s and Van Dyck.
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These are amongst the most important holdings in the Liechtenstein art collection.
Saint Jerome, About 1615-1616, Anthony van Dyck
Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) was the son of a lawyer and trained as a painter in Antwerp where he would later establish a busy and prolific workshop.
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In 1600 he went to Italy to study the works of Renaissance masters and then spent years learning from the compositions by iconic artists such as Titian, Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci and Caravaggio.
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When he returned to Antwerp in 1608, he started to establish himself as the foremost painter in northern Europe.
Lost in Her Dreams, About 1835, Friedrich von Amerlin
He was appointed court painter and worked for wealthy patrons and clients that included all the royal houses, such as those of France and Spain.
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Amongst the many highlights of the works by Rubens is the portrait of his daughter, Clara Serena. Showing the innocent glowing face of this young child, it is a beloved portrayal that radiates warmth and tenderness.
Saint Francis before the Crucified Christ, About 1625, Peter Paul Rubens
The enormous number of commissions that Rubens took on during his career meant that some efficiencies were needed to produce so many paintings.
Peter Paul Ruebens
In one display, it shows that in Ruben’s work, many similar faces are replicated in various paintings.
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He built up a stock of head studies and would use these models in numerous and different compositions. He often used the same model in varied angles and poses.
Head Study of a Bearded Man , 1612 Oil on canvas, Peter Paul Rubens
One such model was the head of an old woman. The original oil on canvas painting, Head of an Old Woman, now in the collection of the National Gallery of Canada, shows this face, which appears in three paintings in the exhibition.
Head of an Old Woman, copy – the original is at the National Gallery of Canada, Peter Paul Rubens
The old woman shows up in The Lamentation as the sombre grieving figure shrouded in black in the lower right of the painting.
The Lamentation, 1612, Oil on canvas, Peter Paul Rubens
She is also featured in The Discovery of the Infant Erichthonius, peering from the background over the top of the basket.
The Discovery of the Infant Erichthonius, 1616, Oil on canvas, Peter Paul Rubens
And she is the elderly woman tenderly caressing in Saint Anne Adorning the Virgin with Flowers.
Saint Anne Adorning the Virgin with Flowers (detail), 1609-1610, Oil on canvas, Peter Paul Rubens
Rubens’ Antwerp workshop created enormous volumes of paintings that required the assistance of apprentices and students.
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Many painters trained and contributed to Rubens’ works. One of these students was Anthony van Dyck, who would gain his own fame as a portrait painter.
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Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641) became the most important Flemish painter after Rubens in the seventeenth century.
Portrait of Maria de Tassis, 1629-1630, Anthony van Dyck
He became highly successful and in great demand by European royalty and aristocrats.
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His remarkable talent is shown in the Portrait of Maria de Tassis. It is outstanding for its luminosity and colours, showing tremendous detail in the textile, dress and jewellery of the subject.
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The final section of the exhibition is devoted to the resurgence of the Liechtenstein art collection and the efforts by reigning Prince Hans-Adam II to modernise the administration of the palaces, restore the historic buildings owned by the family, and integrate newly acquired objects into the Liechtenstein art collection.
The opportunity to see a small part of this tremendous collection at the Hong Kong Palace Museum certainly enhances the understanding of the desire and motivation of each prince and their roles in acquiring one of the most substantial privately held assemblages of art and antiques.
Text and Photos Cammy
