Liechtenstein, the Princely CollectionsMetropolitan Museum of Art, 1985 - 372 pages Liechtenstein is one of the smallest European states, a principality situated between Austria and Switzerland in the Upper Rhine Valley. The nation is less than three hundred years old, but the ruling family, whose name it bears, traces its lineage back to the twelfth century. For successive generations, members of the Princely House of Liechtenstein have been devoted art collectors. With a high degree of appreciation of artistic achievement, they have pursued a centuries-long family tradition of acquiring not only great paintings and sculpture but also rare firearms, fine porcelain, and other works of art. The result of this tradition is a collection of masterpieces that in its depth and breadth reflects more than four hundred years of European history and ranks among the world's greatest private collections. This publication accompanies an exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art that marked the first time the masterpieces from this private collection were put on public display. The rich and varied array of paintings, sculpture, and other works included in this exhibition not only represents the paradigm of a great European princely collection, but also has the added distinction of being the collection of the only surviving monarchy of the Holy Roman Empire. -- Metropolitan Museum of Art website. |
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altarpiece Antonio Susini Antwerp arms artist attributed Austrian barrel Baumstark 1980 Bode Bohemian Prague Bregenz bronze bust carved Castrucci century chiseled Christ cock composition crown cycle dated Decius Mus decoration depicted Diana drawing Dutch Dyck Emperor engraved Eusebius example figures firearms Fleischer 1910 Flemish Florence Florentine foliage Franceschini French gallery Giovanni Bologna Giovanni Francesco Susini gold gunmakers Hercules House of Liechtenstein imperial inscribed inventory Italian ivory Jan de Cock Kunsthistorisches Museum landscape later Length overall Liechtenstein collection Liechtenstein inv Liechtenstein picture lockplate Lucerne master motif Oil on canvas painter pair panel Pieter pietre dure pistols plaques portrait Prague present painting Prince Johann Adam Prince Joseph Wenzel Prince of Liechtenstein relief Roman Rome Rubens Rubens's Rudolf Saint scene scrolls sculpture sketch Soldani statuette steel style Susini Theuerkauff tion Uffizi Vaduz Venus Vienna Viennese Wheellock Wheellock rifle Wilhelm WL FURTHER REFERENCES