Treasures of the Habsburgs

155 Pages·2013·75.53 MB·English

by  Sabine Haag, Franz Kirchweger

ISBN 978-0-500-51680-5
II lllll 11111111111111111
9 780500 516805
TREASURES OF THE
HABSBURGS
Edited by Sabine Haag and Franz Kirchweger
The House of Habsburg was one of the wealthiest and
most politically influential dynasties in Europe, and many
of its members were also great collectors and patrons of the
arts. Their love of magnificence in all its forms is reflected
in the artistic quality and diversiL-y of the objects in Vienna's
Kunstkammer, one of the most important collections of
sculpture and decorative arts in the world and now part
of the city's Kunsthistorisches Museum.
In the Renaissance and Baroque periods, a Kunstkammer
- or 'chamber of art' - was a place where the wonders
of art, science and nature were brought together, a cabinet
of curiosities in which spectacular products of nature were
presented on equa1 footing with remarkable testimonies
to human creativity. This book features around a hundred
and fifL-y of the masterpieces from the Habsburg collections,
ranging from sublime works of sculpture and fine metalwork
to exotic objects fashioned from ostrich eggs, nautilus
shells, rhinoceros horns and shark's teeth. Alongside the
Saliera, Benvenuto Cellini's famous golden salt cellar, and
the masterful High Gothic sculpture known as the Krumau
Jlfa donna, are extraordinarily delicate works carved from
ivory, gorgeous tapestries and mechanical marvels such
as clocks and automata.
The emperors, princes and archdukes who shaped these
collections wanted not only to create a sense of wonder in
all who gazed upon them but also to symbolize their own
dominion over the world. Filled with lavish photographs
and fascinating insights, this is a worthy tribute to the
Habsburgs and their lasting artistic legacy.
With more than 300 colour illustrations
On the jacket:
Front: The Saliera by Benvenuto Cellini, 1540-43.
Back: The Michael Goblet, 1532. Photographs by Christian Mendez.

TREASURES OF THE
HABSBURGS
The Kunstkammer al the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
Edited by Sabine Haag and Franz Kirchweger
"\Vith contributions by Franz Kirchweger,
Claudia Kryza-Gersch, Paulus Rainer, Konrad Schlegel
and Katja Schmitz-von Ledebur
\Vit.h rnore than 300 colour illuslrations
~~~
Thames Hudson
&
Contents
Illustration captions: Preface
9
page I View of Room XXVII of the Kunstkammer (Kunsthistorisches pages 10-II Patrons of the Arts in the House of Habsburg, eiling
Museum, upper floor), with ceiling painting showing the coats of arms painting in Room XIX (Golden Room) of the Kunsrhistori hes Sabine Haag and Franz Kirchweger
of the ancient Austrian Hereditary Lands, as well as the Kingdoms of Museum, detail: Emperor Maximilian I, Emperor Charle \' and
Bohemia and Hungary. Karl Krah! (design) and Franz Schonbrunner Archduke Ferdinand II. Julius Victor Berger, 1890/91.
(execution), 1888. The Treasures of the House of
pages 50-51 Collection of ornamental goblet . Friedrich Hillebrand,
Habsburg and the Kunstkammer:
page 4 Collection of objects from the Kunstkammer, including the Nuremberg, c. 15951I600. Kunsrhistorisches Museum, Kun:,u-.d.1.Uli.1c:r,
celestial globe of 1584 (p. 216). inv. nos. KK 1058, KK 1065, KK 1071, KK 1072, KK 10-·_ KK 1078,
The History and the Holdings
KK rn86, KK rn90, KK II31, KK II36. 12
page 8 Collection of objects from the Natural History Museum and Franz Kirchweger
Kunstkammer, including a bezoar in a gold mount (p. 165).
The Objects
52
Bibliography and Sources
300
Index
Editors: Proofreading:
Dr Sabine Haag Elisabeth Herrmann
General Director, Director of the Collection of Sculpture and Decorative Arts I
Secular and Ecclesiastical Treasury of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna Graphic design:
Alexander Rendi, assisted by Eugen Lejeune
Dr Franz Kirchweger, Curator of the Collection of Sculpture and Decorative Arts I
Secular and Ecclesiastical Treasury Art direction KHM:
Stefan Zeisler
Obiect descriptions:
Franz Kirchweger (FKi), Claudia Kryza-Gersch (CKG), Paulus Rainer (PR), Photo credits:
Konrad Schlegel (KS), Katja Schmirz-von Ledebur (KSvL) Unless otherwise specified© Kunsrhistorisches Museum
Director of photography: Stefan Zeisler
Translations from German: Photographs: Christian Mendez
John Winbigler and Douglas Deitemyer Photo processing: Michael Eder, Thomas Ritter
This edition first published in the United Kingdom in 2013 by British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Thames & Hudson Ltd, r8IA High Holborn, London wcrv 7Qx A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Original edition© 2012 Kunsrhistorisches Museum, Vienna, ISBN 978-0-500-51680-5
and Christian Brandstiitter Verlag, Vienna
This edition© 2013 Thames & Hudson Ltd, London Printed in Austria
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted
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Preface
The magnificent holdings of Vienna's Kunstkammer, also in Vienna's redesigned Kunstkammer are aimed at helping
known as the Collection of Sculpture and Decorative Arts, visitors better explore and grasp the complex and fascinat
ma 'e it one of the most important collections of its kind in ing world of the historical Kunstkammer of the Habsburg
he world. Today its richness and diversity can still in large princes. This book, featuring lavish full views and close
pan e traced back to the treasuries and art cabinets of the up images of the objects as well as descriptions of around
la e :\liddle Ages, the Renaissance and the Baroque, which a hundred and fifty of the collection's masterpieces, is part
were a sembled and passed on by several prominent col of the endeavour by everyone involved in this major pro
lecror from the House of Habsburg. The power of this ject to make the Kunstkammer's holdings as accessible as
family which was one of the most politically influential possible to the general public.
yna tie in Europe with far-reaching contacts and pro The editors would like to express their gratitude to the
found financial resources, was also reflected in the artistic many colleagues who have made this publication possible.
qualiry and diversity of the collected objects. This aspira Special thanks are due to the curators of the Kunstkammer:
tion continues to shape the extraordinary quality of the at a time in which the reorganization of the collection con
Kunstkammer's holdings even today. fronted them with even more challenges than usual, they
The manifold objects from various Habsburg art collec did a masterful job of distilling their wealth of knowledge
tions of the r6th and 17th centuries, in which spectacu about the objects into the concise form of the descriptions
lar products of nature were presented on equal footing the reader will find here. A large measure of the credit for
with extraordinary testimonies to human creativity, were the design of this volume is due to the great commitment
distributed among the newly founded specialized imperial of the Kunsthistorisches Museum's art director, Stefan
collections over the course of the r 8th and r 9th centuries; Zeisler. Dr Elisabeth Herrmann also demonstrated untir
unfortunately, a number of objects were also irretrievably ing dedication in her exemplary editing and proofreading
lost in the process. Visitors to the Vienna Kunstkammer, of the texts.
housed in a r9th-century museum building, will search Not least, everyone involved in this endeavour would
in vain for what over the centuries became the symbolic like to thank Christian Brandstatter Verlag for its co
epitome of a Kunst- und Wunderkammer or cabinet of operation in this project. We hope it finds a place on the
curiosities: stuffed animals hanging from the ceiling and bookshelves of a large number of art enthusiasts who -
display cases packed full of exotic objects and bizarre odd like us - are able to let themselves be delighted, moved and
ities. What the Kunstkammer does offer, however, is a rich inspired by the countless magnificent facets of the master
abundance of unparalleled examples of the goldsmith's pieces of Vienna's Kunstkammer presented here.
and gemcutter's art, a wealth of magnificent bronze statu
ettes, objects of ivory, wood and amber, as well as mech
anical masterpieces that owe their very creation solely to
the principle and the spirit of the princely cabinet of arts
and marvels.
The outward appearance of these objects - which in
many cases was influenced by the particular interests,
tastes and demands of the individual collectors, such as Dr Sabine Haag
Archduke Ferdinand II ( r 529-9 5) and Emperor Rudolf II General Director of the Vienna Kunstkammer/
( r 5 52 -r 6 r 2) - makes special demands on the viewer, as the Secular and Ecclesiastical Treasury
materials the objects are made from and the artistic tech
niques used in their execution are often no longer familiar Dr Franz Kirchweger
to us or even deemed worthy of appreciation. The presen Curator of the Vienna Kunstkammer/
tation of the exhibits and the accompanying commentaries Secular and Ecclesiastical Treasury
9

The Treasures of the House of Habsburg
Franzensburg Castle at Laxenburg and in the Coin and development and structure. Economic hardship prevented
Antiquities Cabinet as well as the Ambras Castle collec these ideas from being fulfilled, but the end of the Austrian
and the Kunstkammer:
tion, which had been brought to Vienna in 1806. Many monarchy brought about numerous changes nonetheless.
of the objects selected for display in the rooms of the mu The Collection of Art-Industrial Objects was not only
The History and the Holdings seum when it opened in 1891 were thus given a common renamed the Collection of Sculpture and Decorative Arts
context for the first time. but also increased considerably in size. In 1921 the tap
Decisions about organizing the objects displayed in estry collection, consisting of some 900 large-scale wall
Franz Kirchweger the nine rooms on the upper ground floor were made pri hangings that were formerly used to decorate the various
marily on the basis of medium and technique, although Habsburg residences, was incorporated into the wider col
all of the medieval artworks were displayed in a single lection. The holdings of the Treasury, which until the end
room. Clocks, automata and scientific instruments were of the monarchy had been separately administered, were
displayed in one of the smaller rooms, as was ornamen also added to the collections, but those objects remained
tal furniture. Works in gold and precious stones, objects in their original rooms in the Hofburg Palace. Extensive
in glass, enamel and clay, pieces carved from ivory, horn, additions were made to the holdings of Italian sculpture
amber and wood as well as small- and large-format sculp of the Middle Ages and Renaissance when those sections
The Kunsthistorisches Museum and
tures of marble and bronze were the respective focuses of of the Este Art Collection were brought to Vienna after
Kunstkammer: Museum Collecting
the other rooms. they were inherited by the heir to the imperial throne,
in the 9th and 20th Centuries
I Following the expulsion of the House of Habsburg Archduke Francis Ferdinand of the House of Austria-Este.
Lorraine from Austria in 1919, the newly founded repub The Collection of Arms and Armour was also displayed
In May 1890 Julius Victor Berger, a professor at the Vienna lic took possession of the former imperial art collections. on the upper ground floor until 1934, when it was moved
Academy of Fine Arts, received a commission for a ceil Understandably, the new political age rejected the origi to the Neue Burg. The vacated rooms were then occupied
ing painting in the largest exhibition room on the upper nal agenda of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, which had by the Collection of Sculpture and Decorative Arts, which
ground floor of Vienna's newly erected Kunsthistorisches brought together the 'private collections' of the imperial opened a year later with an exhibition that included newly
Hofmuseum, the Imperial and Royal Court Museum of family to create a monument to the patronage of the dy acquired objects displayed in twenty rooms. For the first
Art History. The commission provided very specific guide nasty. Demands were heard for a radical reorganization time, the holdings were organized according to artistic
lines regarding design and content: 'This ceiling painting of the museum's holdings with no regard to historical and historical eras as well as according to the collectors
must be a historical representation of the most outstanding
patrons and friends of art from the Austrian ruling fam
ily, namely, Emperor Maximilian I, Emperor Charles V,
Archduke Ferdinand of Tyrol, Emperor Rudolf II, the 1 Patrons of the Arts in the House of Habsburg.
Archdukes Albert VII and Leopold William and Emperor Ceiling painting in Room XIX (Golden Room) of the
Kunsthistorisches Museum, detail: Benvenuto Cellini
Charles VI. Each portrait ... is to be accompanied by one
with the Saliera. Julius Victor Berger, 1890/91.
or more secondary and explanatory figures - artists and
scholars - to represent the period in which the ruler lived;
the background may feature individual artworks, perhaps
buildings, characteristic of the period.' Berger adhered can also be seen in the ceiling painting: Cellini himself is
closely to this description (pp. ro-n). Many of the artists shown holding it on his lap [1]. The Florentine goldsmith
portrayed alongside the rulers are depicted bearing and and sculptor is depicted in the group around Emperor
presenting artworks from the holdings of the imperial col Charles V, although the emperor never actually commis
lections that were exhibited from 1891 on the museum's sioned anything from the artist.
upper ground floor, some of them in the room where the Cellini's salt cellar, at that time already one of the most
ceiling painting itself was located, known as the Golden famous and valuable objects in the museum, was the focus
Room [2]. It was filled with large glass cabinets, both free of the exhibition that was known as the 'Collection of Art
standing and wall-mounted, containing vessels and art Industrial Objects of the Middle Ages and Modern Times'.
objects of gold, silver and precious stones, such as rock The ceiling painting in the Golden Room emphatically il
crystal, jasper, agate and lapis lazuli. The Saliera (p. 124), lustrated the link between this collection and the various
the golden salt cellar that Benvenuto Cellini had created historical collectors of the House of Habsburg.
between 1540 and 1543 for King Francis I of France, was In the decades before and during the construction of
the only object to be placed on a stand of its own, which the Kunsthistorisches Museum, the holdings of the impe
2 'The Collection of Arr-Industrial Objects of the Middle Age and 3 The Collections of Sculpture and Decorative Ans, redisplay of 193 5,
was designed by Karl von Hasenauer, the architect respon rial family were examined in search of potential objects Modern Times'. Room XJX (Golden Room) with the original di play Room XIII, 'Charles V and the Italian High and Late Renaissance':
sible for the interior design of the building. The Saliera for the new collection, including those in the Treasury, in of 1891: view of a glass cabinet and Benvenuto Cellini's Saliera. view with Cellini's Saliera in the foreground and tapestries.
12
of the House of Habsburg and their respective eras and 1990 were given the new German name 'Kunstkammer' Part of the Triumphal Arch, one of the great commemo
collections [3]. In the period between the two world wars, (the Collection of Sculpture and Decorative Arts became rative works commissioned by Maximilian I, includes a
the museum curators used a strategy of purchase, sale and the English name for both collections). Kunstkammer was depiction of his treasury [4]. Treasure rooms with heavy
exchange to acquire cultural assets that might otherwise a name general used historically for art collections of the vaulting, thick walls and barred windows, such as the one
have been sold abroad, such as the Wilten Chalice (p. 5 6), early modern age, including those of the Habsburg dy seen in this woodcut, existed in various places. Contrary
and to expand and complete the holdings of the collection nasty. As a result of the developments described here, the to the depiction of the woodcut, however, the emperor's
in general. collection today cannot convey the complex meaning of treasures were not strewn about on tables; generally they
As early as 1920-21, plans were proposed to divide a historical Kunstkammer, neither in a general sense nor were kept in closed or even sealed chests that provided
the Collection of Sculpture and Decorative Arts into a from a specifically Habsburg point of view. Key groups additional security and made it possible to remove them
Kunstkammer and a sculpture collection under separate of objects, however, mostly handed down from collectors quickly in times of crisis.
names. Numerous objects of porcelain, fired clay and and patrons of the House of Habsburg - such as the small Inventories and other sources that could tell us more
glass subsequently entered the collections of the Austrian bronzes, statuettes and lathe-turned works in ivory, vessels about the Habsburg treasures of the 14th and 15th cen
Museum of Applied Arts, despite their provenance in the and cameos cut from precious stones - still lend the col turies have survived only in isolated instances. There is
collections of Rudolf II in Prague. Manuscripts, some lection a character that is completely in keeping with im clear evidence, however, for the existence of both a secular
of which had come from Ambras Castle, were moved portant elements of the historical collections that preceded and an ecclesiastical treasury. While the former contained
to the Austrian National Library in 1936. Conversely, it. It is no accident that the programmatic ceiling painting insignia, jewelry, precious stones, ornamental dishes, coins
many sculptures were added to the collection, but most in the Golden Room has a key role to play in providing a and ceremonial garments, the latter held liturgical imple
of these were moved to the Austrian Gallery in 19 5 2-5 3. fitting context for these holdings. ments, devotional images, reliquaries and paraments. In
During this period, as was previously the case in 19 3 6, the second half of the 1 5th century, the holdings were ex
the Collection of Sculpture and Decorative Arts sent vari panded, not only in quantity but also as regards the types
ous objects from its holdings for permanent display by From the family treasure of the Middle Ages of objects represented, indicating that the primary goal
the Kunsthistorisches Museum at Ambras Castle near to the imperial collections of the 19th century was no longer ostentation or amassing treasure as a re
Innsbruck. Other works were moved back to Ambras serve that could quickly be turned to money. In addition
4 'Vault with Items from the Treasury of Emperor
from Vienna in 1977 when a Kunstkammer was set up in There is documentary evidence dating from the mid- to the usual items, the treasury inventories began to list
Maximilian I', from The Triumphal Arch of Emperor
the historical 16th-century style. 16th century for the presence of a collection called a Maximilian I. Albrecht Altdorfer, c. r515. Woodcut. scientific instruments, coins, pagan weaponry and natural
The various venues where the prospective objects for Kunstkammer in Vienna. In 1554 Leopold Heyperger, the objects of an exotic or magical character, such as ostrich
the Kunsthistorisches Museum's new Collection of Art chamberlain of Ferdinand I (1503-64), recorded the re eggs, 'tongue stones' (seep. 72), 'toadstones' and coral.
Industrial Objects were held in the second half of the 19th ceipt of various objects that had been brought to ienna In the course of dividing up Maximilian's estate among
century had themselves been the result of reorganization from Graz and placed in the 'Kunsst Carner'. In 1 5 3 - his heirs and the subsequent melting down of the precious
and rearranging that had permanently changed the struc Ferdinand I had issued an instruction to the official at and silver dishes were kept in the sacristy of the Court metals and adaptation and reuse of objects in a different
tures of the Habsburg collections from the 16th and 17th court that expressly mentioned, along with items of mate Chapel dates from the year 1407. form, the Habsburg 'medieval family treasure' was almost
centuries. Since the early 18th century, the historical hold rial value, 'antiques, instruments and artworks' as a group In the second half of the 1 5th century, as a result of ter entirely lost. The oldest extant piece still in the Vienna col
ings, including natural or ethnographic objects, paintings and also cited artistic worth as a criterion for assessing ritorial partitioning between the various Habsburg lines, lection that can clearly be dated to that source is a sapphire
and antiques, coins and medals, prints and books, had value. This point of view marks a turning point in art hi - the Hofburg Palace lost its significance as a repository ring from around 1400. Several objects can be traced back
been kept and displayed together as a matter of course but tory and the beginning of the Vienna Kunstkammer. of Habsburg treasures. With great skill and persistence, to the ownership of Emperor Frederick III because they
increasingly had been separated and reassembled as indi Emperor Frederick III ( 1415-9 3) pursued his goal of re are marked with his famous mystical monogram 'AEIOU'.
vidual groups in special cabinets. From there, they were uniting in his own collection as many as possible of the These include an ornamental vase with lavish enamel dec
The Habsburg treasures before 1530
taken in the second half of the 19th century to the various precious items that had previously been divided among the oration (p. 75).
collections of the two new court museums (natural history The first treasures of the House of Habsburg had of cour e different family lines. At his death, the extensive treasures At the death of Maximilian I, his castle in Wiener
and art history, respectively). These two buildings thus been collected long before Ferdinand issued his instru - were housed in Linz, Graz and Nuremberg, among other Neustadt alone housed forty chests of treasure. None of
represented a logical conclusion to the separation of two tion. By the time of Ferdinand I, the House of Hab burg places. He must have been very reluctant to share this in their incredibly rich and abundant content has been pre
areas - nature and art - whose juxtaposition, togetherness had been ruling the Austrian hereditary lands for more formation with his family because his son Maximilian I served, or at least cannot be identified as such today. It is
and entwinement had been so important to the concept of than 250 years. From the beginning, the dynasry had (1459-1519) attempted with the help of a cleric to pry the likely that the magnificent goblet with his coat of arms
the historical Kunstkammer of the early modern age. Since sought to assemble all the things it needed in connection locations of the secret treasures from his father during the inside the lid (p. 82) was part of that hoard, but there is
that time, the immense diversity and range of the holdings with its rule: material and symbolic treasures, insignia and latter's deathbed confession. no definite proof.
of the former Habsburg collections has existed only as the jewelry, ornamental dishes and textiles, coins and other Maximilian I followed his father's example in keeping Written records referring to such objects as ostrich
sum of individually preserved parts, now scattered across forms of precious metal as well as relics and document . hi treasures in various secret locations. On Maximilian's eggs and coral indicate the presence of new categories of
the collections of the various museums. From the time of Duke Albert II (1298-1358), such hold death in 1519, his heirs, Charles V (1500-58) and the lat holdings in the treasuries of the 1 5th century, and these
That situation applies in particular to the holdings ings are documented as having been in Vienna's Hofburo ter s brother Ferdinand I, also had to comb the residences were subsequently to become increasingly important.
from the Collection of Art-Industrial Objects and the Palace, and there is also evidence of efforts to assemble a in Innsbruck, Graz, Vienna and Wiener Neustadt to deter Taking the artistic sense and interests of King Charles V
Collection of Sculpture and Decorative Arts, which in 'house treasury'. The first concrete evidence that jewelry mine the exact locations of his treasures. of France (1337-80) and his brother John, Duke of Berry
15