Page 93 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Austria

NOR TH OF M ARIAHILFER STR ASSE  91

by Annibale Carracci and
Michelangelo Merisi da
Caravaggio, including the huge
Madonna of the Rosary (1606–7).
French treasures include
the formal court portrait of the
youth ful Charles IX of France
(1569) by François Clouet, and
The Destruction of the Temple
in Jerusalem (1638) by
Nicolas Poussin.
Among the few British works
are Thomas Gainsborough’s
Landscape of Suffolk (c. 1750)
and paintings by Reynolds. The
German collection contains
several works by Albrecht Dürer,
including his Madonna with the
Susanna and the Elders (1555) by Tintoretto Pear (1512), and by Lucas
Cranach the Elder and Hans
by Tilman Riemenschneider painting, and arranged Holbein the Younger.
(c.1495) and stone statues chrono logically. Paintings go There are several fine portraits
from the cathedral churches back as far as the 16th century, of the Spanish royal family by
of Bamberg and Naumburg. and include several works by Diego Velázquez, including his
Highlights of the Italian early Flemish masters, such as Portrait of the Infanta (1659).
Renaissance and Baroque Rogier van der Weyden, Hans
rooms are the marble bust Memling and Jan van Eyck.
of a laughing boy by Desiderio The highlight is the collection Coin Cabinets
da Settignano, a marble relief of Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s The coin and medal collection
of Bacchus and Ariadne, and a surviv ing works, the largest of the Museum of Art History
fine bronze and gilt figurine collection of his work and the comprises 500,000 individual
known as Venus Felix, after an museum’s greatest treasure. items, making it one of the
antique marble statue. Two rooms are devoted to most extensive numismatic
The collection of decorative Rubens, with large-scale collections in the world. Its
arts also includes fine pieces of religious works and an intimate first inventory was compiled
furniture and tapestries, gilded portrait of his wife. Antony van in 1547. The nucleus of the
table ornaments and vases, Dyck is represented by some collection derives from the
a number of statuettes and outstanding works, and there former possessions of the
figurines, miniature clocks are paintings by Dutch genre Habsburgs, but has been added
and jewellery. painters. All the Rembrandts to by modern curators. The
on show are portraits. The exhibits illustrate the history
only painting by of money, with coins
Picture Collection Johannes Vermeer is from ancient Egypt,
Exhibits in the painting galleries The Artist’s Studio, an Greece and Rome,
are mostly hung according to enigmatic work. and examples of
regional schools or styles of The Italian Celtic, Byzantine,
collection of 16th- medieval and
century paintings from Renaissance money,
Venice and the Veneto right up to present-
include works by Titian, Medal of Ulrich II day Austrian currency.
from his early Gypsy Molitor (1581) Also on display is a
Madonna (1510) to the collection of medals,
late Nymph and Shepherd with portraits that are often
(1570–75). Other highlights are outstanding miniature works of
Giovanni Bellini’s graceful Young art. Particularly noteworthy are
Woman at her Toilette (1515) and the 16th-century silver and gilt
Tintoretto’s Susanna and the medals of Ulrich II Molitor, the
Elders, one of the major works Abbot of Heiligenkreuz, and
of Venetian Mannerism. There the 19th-century silver
is a series of allegorical portrait medallion engraved by Bertrand
heads representing the elements Andrieu and minted to com-
and the seasons by Giuseppe memorate the baptism of
Summer (1563) by Italian painter Arcimboldo. Italian Baroque Napoleon’s son, showing the
Giuseppe Arcimboldo painting includes works emperor as proud father.

090-091_EW_Austria.indd 91 12/09/17 3:02 pm