The Princely Picture Collection encompasses more than 1,500 paintings of which more than 200 masterpieces will be on permanent show at the LIECHTENSTEIN MUSEUM in Vienna. Additional temporary exhibitions will highlight other features of the collection and for the first time present them to the public.

The Princely Family’s passion for sculpture goes back to the 17th century when Prince Karl I of Liechtenstein first took an intense interest in the art. Prominent artists such as Adriaen de Fries, Francesco Susini, Francois Duquesnoy, Massimiliano Soldani-Benzi, Andrea Mantegna and Franz Anton Zauner attest to the exceptional quality of the exhibits on display at the LIECHTENSTEIN MUSEUM.

In the tradition of the Kunstkammer of Emperor Rudolf II in Prague, Prince Karl I of Liechtenstein also began to systematically collect valuable art objects. Over the centuries, the Princely Family continued to add to this unique collection of enamel, porcelain, ivory, furniture and ceremonial weapons.

The origins of the library of the House of Liechtenstein can be traced back to the 16th century. However, books were not collected for the purpose of documenting various areas of knowledge. In the years that followed, the extensive acquisitions much rather reflected the personal preferences and interests of each individual prince.

At the beginning of the last century, central Liechtenstein archives were established in Vienna on the instructions of Prince Johann II. All the materials dating back to before 1858 which had previously been kept by local estate offices or central authorities, and had hence been virtually inaccessible to historians, were brought together, inspected and indexed, and have since been professionally maintained.

This section alphabetically lists the biographies of the major artists represented in the Princely Collections, from Bernardo Bellotto and Peter Paul Rubens to the Castrucci workshop in Prague.