Page 130 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Vienna

128  VIENNA AREA B Y AREA MUSEUM AND T OWNHALL QU AR TER  129

Exploring the Kunsthistorisches’ Other Collections Roman emperors by artists such forms of money such as
and Roman glass. as Tilman stones used on Yap Island
As well as the picture gallery, the art history museum to contain deceased souls. Etruscan and Riemenschneider, in Micronesia.
contains a “museum within a museum” within the 20 Other rooms house mummified Cypriot art are in some medie val Rooms II and III house an
galleries of its Kunstkammer Wien, or Viennese chamber animals, Egyptian scripts, and rooms 1–3. Coptic, ivories, drinking extensive collection of 19th- and
horns and
20th-century medals. The portrait
of curiosities, said to be the most magnificent in the world. artifacts such as pots, clothing Byzantine and Medal of Ulrich II communion vessels. medallions are often miniature
Germanic items are
and jewellery.
The ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece and Rome are Also on show are a glazed shown in the rest of Molitor (1581) The highlights of the works of art in themselves.
chronicled in all their full splendour. Additionally, the brick relief of a lion from Baby- the rooms, where pride Italian Renaissance Particularly noteworthy are the
museum has one of the world’s largest, and most important, lon and items from Arabia. of place goes to the Treasure rooms are a marble bust of a unusual silver and gilt medals
medal and coin collections. of Nagyszentmiklós, a late laughing boy by Desiderio da belonging to Ulrich Molitor, the
9th-century collection Settignano, a marble relief of Abbot of Heiligenkreuz, and
of golden vessels found in Bacchus and Ariadne, and a the silver medallion which was
Romania in 1799. fine bronze and gilt figurine engraved by Bertrand Andrieu
Egyptian and Near called Venus Felix. Included in and minted to commemorate
Eastern Collection the large German Renaissance the baptism of Napoleon’s son.
Kunstkammer Wien
Five specially decorated collection are early playing This shows the emperor as a
rooms adorned with Egyptian The curators call this “the cards and a table centrepiece proud father,
friezes and motifs provide the cradle of the museum”. Here, incorporating “vipers’ tongues” lifting aloft
perfect setting for the bulk the personal prizes of (in fact, fossilized sharks’ teeth), his baby,
of the museum’s collection Habsburg collectors Rudolf II said to ward off poison. Other the King
of Egyptian and Near Eastern and Archduke Leopold William gems include Benvenuto of Rome
antiquities. The collection was are housed in their “wonder Cellini’s Salt Cellar (see p124), (see p177).
founded by the Habsburg Blue ceramic rooms”. These were originally made for the
monarchs though most of hippopotamus from cham bers of artifacts and French
the items were either bought Middle Kingdom Egypt natural wonders that were king
in the 19th century, after (around 2000 BC) intended to represent the François I,
Napoleon’s Egyptian expedition sum total of human knowledge and some
had increased interest in the of the day. In addition to statuettes by
area, or added early in the This collection contains more Greek and Roman sculpture, these princely Giambo logna.
20th century, when Austrian than 17,000 objects, with the treasuries contained
archaeologists excavated at oldest dating back to around Antiquities precious items of
the Pyramid district of Giza; 3500 BC. There is a bust of King Only part of the museum’s high craftsman- Youth from Magdalensberg,
an outstanding example is Thutmosis III (see p125) and Greek and Roman collection ship, exotic, 16th-century cast of a
the so-called Reserve Head portraits of Egyptian gods and is housed in the main building; highly unusual Roman original
(around 2600 BC). The entire goddesses. In Rooms I and V, the finds from Ephesus and novelties, and
Fifth dynasty Tomb Chapel of where the decorative scheme Samothrace are displayed scientific instru-
Ka-Ni-Nisut, from Giza, and its incorporates Egyptian columns in the Neue Burg (see p97) in ments. Among Coins and Medals
well-preserved hieroglyphics from Aswan, there are items the Hofburg. the most Tucked away on the second
(from around 2400 BC) are on associated with the mortuary If you approach the collection intrigu ing are floor is one of the most
display in Room II. cult in Ancient Egypt, including from the Egyptian galleries, the some intricate extensive coin and medal
sarcophagi, canopic first room you come to (Room X) auto mata, collections in the world.
jars (which used to is devoted to early Greek including a Once again, the nucleus of
contain the entrails sculpture. Rooms 6–7 house musical box the collection came from the
of mummified the Austria Romana collection in the form of former possessions of the
corpses), scarabs, which includes the Youth from a ship, and a Habsburgs, but it has been
mummy cases and Magdalensberg, a 16th-century moving clock. added to by modern curators
papyrus books of cast of a lost Roman statue, Some of and now includes many
the dead. In Room found buried in an Austrian the royal 20th-century items. Only
VIII there is a small field. The main gallery (Room patrons a fraction of the museum’s
blue ceramic statue XI), decorated in the style of an Virgin with Child worked in 600,000 pieces can be seen
of a hippopotamus. imperial Roman villa, includes (c. 1495) by Tilman the studio in the three exhibition rooms.
These were often a mosaic of Theseus and the Riemenschneider themselves; Room I gives an overview
found in Middle Minotaur, a Roman marble on display of the development of money.
Kingdom tombs, statue of Isis, Greek sculpture is some glass blown by the It includes coins from Ancient
as hippopotamus and a sarco phagus with fine Archduke Ferdinand II and also Greece and Rome, examples
hunting was a royal relief decora tion. Rooms XII and embroidery hand-sewn by of Egyptian, Celtic and
privilege given to XIII house numerous portraits. Maria Theresa. As in the Picture Byzantine money, and
citizens who had Visitors can also see figurines Gallery, the main emphasis is medieval, Renaissance and
won the king’s and bronzes from Greece and on the Renaissance and European coins, as well as
favour. Many of Rome, vases from Tanagra (a Baroque, although there is Austrian currency from
the small-scale town in Ancient Greece) and a great display of medieval its origins to the present.
Room I from the Egyptian galleries, with sculptures on a large collection of Roman items. These include fine, late Also on display is a
papyrus stalk columns from Aswan (c. 1410 BC) display were made cameos, jewellery, busts of Gothic religious carved statues collection of primitive

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Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Flashmap follow-on template “UK” LAYER
(Source v1.5)
Date 7th January 2013
Size 125mm x 217mm