Non multa, sed multum. Italian Painting in the Collections of the Moravian Aristocracy at the End of the 18th Century
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| Year of publication | 2025 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | After being appointed State Chancellor in 1753, Wenzel Anton, Prince of Kaunitz-Rietberg (1711–1794), had most of his art collection transferred from Moravian castle in Austerlitz to his Vienna residence in Mariahilf. The collection of more than 840 paintings also included works by Italian masters, among which the paintings of the representatives of the Bologna Academy and their Roman followers largely stood out. Although the most valuable paintings from Austerlitz belong primarily to the context of Viennese art collecting, there were other art collections in Moravia whose basis was, in many cases, laid through the acquisition of Italian artworks. First, this category includes members of the nobility with Italian roots, such as the Collalto family or the castle owner in Bistritz am Holstein, Franz Anton Monte l'Abbate della Rovere (1748–1804). However, many other noblemen also had numerous contacts with the art of the Apennine Peninsula, such as Bishop Hermann Hannibal Blümegen (1716–1774), whose Roman acquisitions laid the foundations for the collection later transferred to the Wisowitz Chateau in southeast Moravia. The targeted interest in acquiring works by Italian masters or their copies is also confirmed by the relationship of many members of the Moravian aristocracy to the art trade in Vienna, where, for example, Franz Anton Magnis (1773–1848), the owner of the Strassnitz Chateau, made some of his acquisitions. The main aim is not so much to point out all the Italian paintings in selected Moravian collections, but rather to evaluate the variety of roles that Italian territory played in forming these chateau galleries. |
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