Rue du RhôneLGT. A piece of Liechtensteinin the heart of Geneva.

The Princely Collections

For more than four hundred years, the Princes of Liechtenstein have been passionate art collectors. The Princely Collections include key works of European art stretching over five cen-turies and are now among the world’s major private art collections. The notion of promot-ing fine arts for the general good enjoyed greatest popularity during the Baroque period. The House of Liechtenstein has pursued this ideal consistently down the generations.

We make deliberate use of the works of art in the Princely Collections as imagery to accompany what we do. For us, they embody precisely those values that form the basis for a successful partnership with our clients: a long-term focus, skill and reliability.

www.liechtensteincollections.at

Cover picture: Portrait of Prince Johann I of Liechtenstein

Johann Baptist Lampi, detail from “Portrait of Prince Johann I of Liechtenstein,“ 1816Please see page 23 of this brochure for detailed information about the cover picture.

© LIECHTENSTEIN. The Princely Collections, Vaduz-Vienna

A warm welcome to our Geneva office at Rue du Rhône 21.

Following a complete renovation in 2014 our employees

in Geneva were able to move into the fully refurbished

premises as scheduled. When we began planning the reno-

vation in 2010, we had an ambitious goal: we wanted to

set a new standard for sustainability in a renovation project.

Today I can confirm that we achieved this lofty ambition.

Rue du Rhône 21 is our first building to comply fully with

the sustainability strategy that we formulated in 2010.

We have significantly reduced its environmental impact

by using the latest technology, and can now offer our

employees and clients not only a fantastic view of Lake

Geneva but also a very pleasant and inspiring environment.

This project at our Geneva branch is representative of our

fundamental outlook as a family-run private bank: we think

and act in terms of generations. Sustainability is an integral

part of this philosophy. Our cross-generational thinking is

also reflected in the interior design of our Geneva branch:

each of the eleven client meeting rooms on the top floor

is named after a different head of our family from the last

five centuries and features details of a work of art from the

Princely Collections of that era. We look forward to

welcoming you to these very special rooms.

H.S.H. Prince Max von und zu Liechtenstein

CEO LGT

Welcome

3

Bound to history

This is the credo embodied by the owners of LGT, the Princely

Family of Liechtenstein. It has built up one of the most impor-

tant private collections in the world, over many generations

and with thoughtfulness and expertise, and preserved it for

posterity. Today, the Princely Collections include major works

of European art from five centuries.

Creating, preserving and increasing value across the genera-

tions is also the core purpose and raison d’être of our activities

in Private Banking and Asset Management. At our new office

on Rue du Rhône in Geneva, we want to express this ethos in

a very special way: we have named each of the eleven meeting

rooms on the top floor after one of the Princes of the House

of Liechtenstein, as shown on the following pages. Pictures of

works of art from the collection dating from the relevant era

will give each of these rooms a distinctive and very personal feel.

One of the rooms bears the name of Prince Joseph Wenzel I of

Liechtenstein. Geneva, city of diplomacy and headquarters of

the United Nations, would definitely have appealed to him.

Himself an ambassador at the court of Louis XV in Versailles,

his name has now been given to one of the meeting rooms at

the new LGT office in Geneva.

In our meeting rooms, our visitors can now experience and

learn about the centuries-old tradition and history of the

Princely House in a very real way – as well as enjoying the

magnificent view of the city and Lake Geneva that has been

cleverly incorporated into the design of the interior.

For us as a private bank, the works from the Princely Collections

symbolize timeless values like tradition, continuity and the high

standards we set ourselves. These values are once again very

topical in the banking world. History and the past can open our

eyes to the present and show us the way forward to the future.

“Only someone who knows where he has come from knows where he is going.”

Theodor Heuss

Sustainable refurbishment

The building designed in the 1960s by the Geneva architect Marc-

Joseph Saugey was completely refurbished between 2013 and 2015

to comply with the Minergie standard. The environmentally friendly

heating, ventilation and cooling system is powered by lake water,

which leads to significant reductions in both energy consumption and

CO2 emissions. Additional energy-saving measures include the solar

panels on the flat roof and a lighting system based on LED technology.

Altogether, the complete refurbishment has reduced the building’s

energy consumption by 40 to 45 percent. The solar panels also

generate 45 000 kW of electricity each year.

4

Franz Josef Ipage 19

Alois Ipage 21

Joseph Wenzel Ipage 17

Anton Florian Ipage 15

Johann Adam Andreas Ipage 13

Karl Eusebius Ipage 11

Karl Ipage 9

Hartmann IIpage 7

Johann Ipage 23

Alois IIpage 25

Johann IIpage 27

Staircase

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Top floor layout, Rue du Rhône 21

History is also about the passage of time. If you would like to

pass some time with us, we would be glad to invite you for a

tour of the princely rooms.

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In 1568, Baron Hartmann II of Liechtenstein (1544–1585)

married Anna Maria, Countess of Ortenburg, niece of Count

Ladislaus of Haag, who had his portrait painted, with his leop-

ard, by Hans Mielich (1516–1573) in 1557. As an enthusiastic

book collector, he had his collection bound in leather to his

own design and he commissioned fine embossed and gilded

work which made the books especially precious. Some of these

volumes are still to be found in the Princely Library and reflect

the Baron’s curiosity about all kinds of different fields of knowl-

edge. As well as paintings and books, he is likely to have

collected other valuable objects.

Having received goods in fealty (in exchange for service) in

Austria, Baron Hartmann II advanced to become a highly re-

garded confidant at the courts of Emperors Maximilian II

and Rudolf II, a mediator in Austro-Moravian border disputes

and a provider of credit to the emperors. In 1575, he suc-

ceeded in buying back the baronial estate of Eisgrub that

had been sold a few years previously. It was there that Baron

Hartmann II died in autumn 1585, leaving instructions in his

will for how his children should be brought up and educated.

He also instructed them to honor the family name and pre-

serve the standing of the dynasty.

Portrait of Ladislaus of Fraunberg

This life-size portrait, signed and dated by the artist Hans

Mielich (1516–1573) from Munich, became one of the very

first paintings to find its way into the collection of the Princes

of Liechtenstein. Ladislaus of Fraunberg, the last Count of

Haag and the uncle of the wife of Baron Hartmann II of

Liechtenstein, is fashionably dressed in the Spanish style that

was popular at the time. His tunic is lavishly decorated with

gold embroidery, while his pose is that of a proud man: one

hand is reaching for his sword, while the other rests on a table

covered with an Anatolian carpet. Through the open window

of the chamber in which the dignified nobleman, bedecked

with gold chains, is standing, his palace in a winter landscape

can be seen. The room is decorated with numerous objects

relating to the subject of the painting: his name and coat of

arms with the motto With work and God’s help (Cum labore et

deo ivvante) are depicted in stained glass, the trophies of a bold

warrior hang on the wall and the arrangement of a crucifix,

hourglass and skull with the motto Death takes all (Mors omnia

rapit) is intended as a reminder of the transience of life. An

unusual feature is the Count’s companion, a leopard with its

owner’s initials embossed in gold letters on its impressive collar.

Gundaker of Liechtenstein wrote in 1640 of a tiger-like animal,

always by his side like a dog, which Ladislaus of Fraunberg had

received as a gift from his Italian relatives.

Baron Hartmann II of Liechtenstein

“…brought up from their youth to be God-fearing, virtuous and skilled in the arts befitting their status...”

Baron Hartmann II of Liechtenstein in his last will and testament, on the upbringing of his sons

Peter van Roy, detail from “Portrait of Baron Hartmann II of Liechtenstein,“ 1711

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Prince Karl I of Liechtenstein (1569–1627), the eldest son of

Baron Hartmann II, was carefully brought up, studied in Geneva

and went on a cultural tour through France, before taking up

his father’s inheritance in 1591. He began his career in imperial

service as treasurer to Archduke Matthias (1557–1619), before

being summoned to Prague as Chief Intendant at the court of

Emperor Rudolf II (1552–1612) and finally honored with the

hereditary title of Prince. Through his involvement in politics,

the first Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece to come

from the Liechtenstein family was able to observe the creation

of works at Rudolf’s court.

As well as numerous paintings by the artists at the Prague

court, many other objets d’art found their way into Prince

Karl I’s collection. These included works by jewelers and master

goldsmiths as well as stone carvers. The Dutch sculptor Adriaen

de Vries (1556–1626) was commissioned to make sculptures

for both Emperor Rudolf II and Prince Karl I. The statues of

“Christus im Elend” (Christ in Distress) and “Saint Sebastian”

are still in the Princely Collections today. When the Prince died,

Emperor Ferdinand II said he had “...a special love of beautiful

things…“, underlining his passion for precious and unusual

works of art.

Pietra tabletop

The tabletop was made in the Prague workshop of the Italian

Castrucci family, out of “commessi di pietre dure” – inlaid

stone – for Prince Karl I of Liechtenstein. The small sections

edged with garnets depict landscapes, trophies and geomet-

ric shapes, while in the middle is the Prince’s coat of arms.

The design of the tabletop is structured with strips of jasper,

decorated with inlaid tetrahedrons, flowers and little animals

such as lizards, frogs, caterpillars, snails and butterflies. In the

corners is the letter “C,” the customer’s initial, while the letter

“F” refers to his patron, Emperor Ferdinand II, who in January

1622 appointed him Viceroy of Bohemia.

The table was described in the “Guardaroba inventory” of

Prince Karl Eusebius I of Liechtenstein in 1658: item, a fine

square stone table, inlaid with different colors, set with many

garnets, together with a coarse wooden base. In 1705, a

carved base was made for the table in the style of the time

by the Italian sculptor Giovanni Giuliani (1664–1744), who

worked for Prince Johann Adam Andreas I (1657–1712) at

the Garden Palace and the City Palace.

Prince Karl I of Liechtenstein

“…that you apparently have some outstanding and rare artworks and paintings...”

In September 1597, Emperor Rudolf II wrote to Prince Karl I of Liechtenstein that he had heard about the treasures in his collection.

Unknown artist, detail from “Portrait of Prince Karl I of Liechtenstein,“ c. 1625

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The life of Prince Karl Eusebius I (1611–1684) was particularly

characterized by the princely virtue of curiositas. In 1632, at

the age of 21, after going on the Grand Tour that was expected

of young aristocrats which took him to the Netherlands and

France, he took over the responsibilities of head of the House

of Liechtenstein. His aim was to preserve and enhance the

status and reputation of his family.

His special interests were architecture, acquiring paintings and

objets d’art, and breeding horses. Even during the politically

turbulent times of the Thirty Years’ War which put the family’s

finances under severe strain, he was not afraid to lay the foun-

dations for the Princely Family’s art collection. In his acquisitions

and in the works he commissioned himself, he showed a refined

taste, an understanding of art and an appreciation of the

famous masters.

Last but not least, he is also remembered by posterity as the

author of various works on the education of princes, architec-

ture and horse breeding. These are still to be found today in

the archives of the Princely Family, and they reflect the mindset

of an exceptionally well-educated and sophisticated prince.

Maienkrug

For this object, the story of how it was commissioned and its

history to this day are well documented. On March 1, 1638,

Prince Karl Eusebius I acquired a crystal and on September 10

of the same year Dionysio Miseroni (1607–1661) was contrac-

ted to cut it. The Italian stonecutter had a year in which to

turn the precious stone into a vessel in the shape of a

Maienkrug (vase with lid), as big as the stone allowed,

and he performed the task in accordance with his contract.

The inventory for the Princely Silver Collection for 1678

describes a version made of smoky quartz, but this did not

survive the Napoleonic Wars in about 1800, and the current

version in bronze and gilded silver, decorated with enamel,

was commissioned in 1810.

Dionysio Miseroni came from a family of craftsmen who had

specialized in gem cutting for generations. His grandfather

Gasparo Miseroni (1518–1573) of Milan, and his father Ottavio

Miseroni (1567–1624), who was summoned by Rudolf II to the

court in Prague, created masterpieces of gem cutting that

became part of the Imperial Collections in Vienna. Prince Karl I

had already commissioned vessels from this workshop and his

son Karl Eusebius I continued the tradition – he gave instruc-

tions for this “Maienkrug” to bear the coat of arms of the

House of Liechtenstein.

Prince Karl Eusebius I of Liechtenstein

“…to be and remain art lovers as befits their princely status, so that they become famous for owning things that not everyone has.”

Prince Karl Eusebius I, Book on Architecture

Unknown artist, detail from “Portrait of the young Prince Karl Eusebius I of Liechtenstein,“ c. 1630

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During the Baroque period in Vienna, Prince Johann Adam

Andreas I (1657–1712) was one of the leading property owners

and employed not only the Salzburg painter Johann Michael

Rottmayr (1654–1730) but also numerous Italian artists on the

interior design of the Garden Palace in the Rossau district and

the City Palace next to the Emperor’s Hofburg palace. Marcantonio

Franceschini (1648–1729) and Antonio Bellucci (1654–1726)

created paintings, the master of illusionist architectural art in

Rome, Andrea Pozzo (1642–1709), produced the ceiling fresco

in the Hercules room in the Garden Palace, and Giovanni

Giuliani (1664–1744) contributed sculptures for both palaces.

The Prince was able to add a large number of acquisitions to

the existing art collection, not only as one of the leading com-

missioners of new works, but also as a well-known collector.

Among his notable additions were works by the Flemish Baroque

painter Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640) and his gifted pupil

Anthony van Dyck (1599–1641). Prince Johann Adam Andreas I

commissioned and collected all three genres of art: architecture,

painting and sculpture.

Venus in front of the mirror

Peter Paul Rubens painted this picture of Venus, the goddess

of love and beauty, a few years after his visit to Italy in 1608.

He used a feature that was very popular in Italian Renaissance

painting, a mirror. This enabled Rubens to enhance his image

of the goddess’s nude back by showing her face reflected

in the mirror, so that the observer experiences this vision of

feminine beauty virtually from all sides. The Flemish Baroque

painter’s depiction of the different textures of the objects in

his composition is masterly, as he plays with the effects of the

light on the soft skin, shining hair and different fabrics. Venus’s

son, Cupid, holds the mirror at just the right height for the

goddess to watch the observer, maintaining a coy distance

as she performs her toilet, but nevertheless interested

and engaging.

A wonder of the world… is how the Dutch poet Constantijn

Huygens described the art of the painter Peter Paul Rubens

in 1629 and therefore during his lifetime. Rubens spent eight

years working for the aristocratic Gonzaga family in Mantua

and during that time studied the brushstrokes, choice of

colors and compositions of the Italian masters. On his return

to Antwerp he combined the traditions of Flemish art with

those of the ancient world and the Renaissance so success-

fully that his works were celebrated and highly praised by

his contemporaries.

Prince Johann Adam Andreas I of Liechtenstein

“There is barely a prince, minister or nobleman who does not live in a fine house. But among them all, the palace that Prince Adam of Liechtenstein is having built stands out, for it can be said without hypocrisy that he spares no expense in making it magnificent.”

Casimir Freschot, 1705

Peter van Roy, detail from “Portrait of Prince Johann Adam Andreas I of Liechtenstein,“ 1706

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Prince Anton Florian I (1656–1721) was appointed to the Privy

Council by Emperor Leopold I (1640–1705), sent as Envoy to

the Papal Court in 1689 and promoted to Ambassador in 1691.

He was the first representative of the Emperor in Rome who was

not in holy orders. For his arrival in Rome, which was recorded

in both writing and paintings, he not only had opulent ceremonial

carriages built but also brought horses from the Eisgrub stud

to the city on the Tiber.

During his time in Rome, he enjoyed close contact with the

city’s artists, and Prince Anton Florian I succeeded in commis-

sioning Andrea Pozzo (1642–1709) to paint the frescos in the

main hall of the Garden Palace in the Rossau district: between

1704 and 1708, he created scenes from the life of Hercules

and the hero’s apotheosis.

It was not only his properties in the Emperor’s home city that

were close to Prince Anton Florian I’s heart. Spurred by his

keen interest in architecture and horse breeding, he commis-

sioned his court architect Anton Johann Ospel (1677–1756)

not only to redesign his palaces in Feldsberg, Wilfersdorf and

Ebergassing, but also to restyle the riding school in Feldsberg.

Portrait of a Piebald horse from the stud of Eisgrub

This painting of a piebald stallion was part of a series of six pic-

tures of horses that Johann Georg von Hamilton (1672–1737)

painted in 1700 for the interior of the newly built Garden Palace

in the Rossau district. Some years later, the landscape artist

Anton Faistenberger (1663–1708) added a natural backdrop

to four of the paintings.

The stallion is shown performing a levade, rearing up, with his

coat painted in every detail and the mane not only carefully

plaited but decorated with blue ribbons. According to a catalog

in the Liechtenstein Gallery, the horse came from the Eisgrub stud.

The stud was famous for horse breeding far beyond the borders

of the Habsburg empire. It housed up to 120 stallions of differ-

ent breeds and the stable complex was described as palace

for horses.

Prince Anton Florian I of Liechtenstein

“…Your Serene Highness and great connoisseur of the fine arts…”

Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz in a letter to Prince Anton Florian I, 1714

Unknown artist, detail from “Portrait of Prince Anton Florian l of Liechtenstein,“ c. 1625

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Prince Joseph Wenzel I (1696–1772) was both a highly regarded

diplomat and a sophisticated connoisseur of art in the Baroque

period. He deployed his outstanding strategic and organizational

skills with great success in the service of the imperial family.

A high point of his career was reached when he was appointed

ambassador in Versailles in December 1738. The Golden Car-

riage that was commissioned for the occasion, his splendidly

bedecked entourage and the magnificent piebald horses from

his own stud at Eisgrub caused a sensation and held spectators

spellbound. While in Paris, Joseph Wenzel acquired numerous

paintings for the Princely Collection and also twice had his

portrait painted by the French court painter Hyacinthe Rigaud

(1659–1743), in the pose of a self-assured statesman.

Not least among his achievements, he was also responsible

for the extensions to the palace at Feldsberg by the architect

Anton Johann Ospel (1677–1756) and for the first catalog of

the Princely Collection of paintings.

When he died in Vienna 1772, Maria Theresia (1717–1780),

ruling sovereign of the House of Habsburg, wrote letters of

condolence with her own hand and expressed her esteem

with the following words: He was one of those men, the like

of which we will not see again.

The Golden Carriage

In 1737, the Parisian craftsman Nicolas Pineau (1684–1754) was

commissioned to produce several ceremonial carriages for the

arrival of Prince Joseph Wenzel I in Versailles. Only the Golden

Carriage that is still on display in the Liechtenstein Garden Palace

in Vienna has been preserved. When the Prince made his entrée

publique in 1738, there were 58 pageboys and servants dressed

in sumptuous and richly embroidered livery in his retinue. His

magnificent arrival attracted a great deal of attention in France.

The state carriage was used again in 1760 for the wedding

procession in Vienna on the occasion of the marriage of

Emperor Josef II (1741–1790) to Isabella of Parma-Bourbon

(1741–1763). The newspaper Viennese “Diarium” gave a

detailed report of this event: No pen can adequately describe

the pomp and splendor with which this festive and extremely

happy day was celebrated…

The painted panels of the Rococo-style carriage depict allego-

ries of the four seasons and the four elements, represented by

putti at play. The interior of the carriage is decorated with red

velvet, embroidered with gold and silver thread.

Prince Joseph Wenzel I of Liechtenstein

“Ambition was a leading trait in his character – he prized honor more than life or wealth.”

Johann Pezzl about Prince Joseph Wenzel I, 1792

Hyacinthe Rigaud, detail from “Portrait of Prince Joseph Wenzel I of Liechtenstein,“ 1740

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Prince Franz Josef I (1726–1781) received a great deal of support

from his uncle, Prince Joseph Wenzel I, who also influenced his

nephew’s interests. He accompanied his uncle on military and

diplomatic missions and in 1772 became head of the family.

Thanks to an inheritance from his aunt, Princess Maria Theresa

of Savoy (1694–1772), the family’s wealth was multiplied.

During his reign, the collections were located in the Viennese

palaces on Herrengasse and Bankgasse. In 1780, Prince Franz

Josef I instructed his gallery inspector, the artist Johann Dallinger

of Dalling (1741–1806), to catalog the Princely Collection of

paintings. The technique and subject of each were recorded in

French. Importantly, for paintings displayed in the Bankgasse

palace, their location was noted. This means that we can still

trace today how they were originally hung in Baroque times.

Prince Franz Josef I had the Baroque sculptures by Giovanni

Giuliani (1664–1744) removed from the park of the Garden

Palace, in order to have the grounds redesigned as a land-

scaped garden. He also acquired Asian porcelain objects from

China and Japan which he had mounted by the Viennese

silversmith Johann Nepomuk Würth (1753–1811).

Portrait of the future Prince Johann I of Liechtenstein

Prince Franz Josef I of Liechtenstein commissioned the Swiss

artist Friedrich Oelenhainz (1745–1804) to paint eight portraits

of his family, including this likeness of the future Prince Johann I.

The portraits were originally part of the wall decoration in one

of the rooms of the palace at Eisgrub.

For the background, Oelenhainz used a semi-circular architec-

tural structure in classical style, with plants growing over it in

places. The Prince, dressed in a sumptuous outfit, is shown

seated at a table on which books, drawing instruments and

sheets of paper are arranged. He is looking at the observer

and pausing in his task of copying or sketching the bust of

a lady that is positioned in front of him. A slight smile plays

around his mouth.

The painter Friedrich Oelenhainz was born in Endingen in

Württemberg and specialized in portraits. His travels took him,

among other places, to study at the Academy in Vienna. There

he advanced rapidly to become one of the favorite artists of

the aristocracy and the upper class. For his portraits of members

of the Princely Family, he chose gentle, delicate colors that were

typical of the Rococo style.

Prince Franz Josef I of Liechtenstein

“…the gallery of his Highness François Joseph, head and ruling prince of the House of Liechtenstein…”

Johann Dallinger of Dalling, Catalogue of paintings and sculptures of the gallery of Prince Franz Josef I of Liechtenstein, Vienna 1780

Alexander Roslin, detail from “Portrait of Prince Franz Josef I of Liechtenstein,“ 1778

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Prince Alois I (1759–1805) always showed a great deal of interest

in agriculture and in enlarging his estates. He also bought many

books, increased the collection of paintings and was a patron of

music and the theater. It was he who began the endeavor to

redesign the area between Eisgrub and Feldsberg which was

completed by his brother Prince Johann I.

The extensive parkland was enhanced with exotic plants from

all regions of the world and adorned with the works of the

architects Joseph Hardtmuth (1758–1816) and Joseph Korn-

häusel (1782–1860): nature and architecture combined to

form a harmonious ensemble.

Prince Alois I was responsible for altering and restoring the

palace on Herrengasse where a famous library was situated.

The collection of rare and precious books was regarded as the

second most important after the imperial counterpart and

comprised over a hundred thousand volumes. In 1914, the

contents were transferred to the Garden Palace before the

building on Herrengasse was demolished.

Portrait of Princess Karoline of Liechtenstein

Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun (1755–1842) painted two large-scale

portraits for the palace on Herrengasse in Vienna that was altered

and partially rebuilt by Joseph Hardtmuth between 1788 and

1792. Princess Maria Hermenegilde (1768–1865) was depicted

as Ariadne on Naxos and Princess Karoline (1768–1831), the wife

of Prince Alois I, as Iris, whose symbol was the rainbow in

Greek mythology.

The circumstances surrounding the painting of the portrait

can be found in the “Souvenirs,” the artist’s memoirs. Elisa-

beth Vigée-Lebrun, court painter of the French queen Marie

Antoinette (1755–1793), had turned her back on Versailles as

a result of the turmoil of the French Revolution and settled in

Vienna, where she had a studio near the Schönbrunn Palace.

About the commission by Prince Alois I she wrote: The young

Princess had a fine figure, her charming face had a sweet,

heavenly expression, which gave me the idea of depicting

her as Iris; I painted her full-length as if lifting into the air,

with her sash in rainbow colors floating round her.

The artist also wrote that she had painted the Princess with

bare feet, but when the painting was hung, the older members

of the family had been offended that she had shown the Prin-

cess with no shoes. Consequently her husband placed a pair of

shoes underneath the picture, as a humorous and elegant way

of countering the criticism.

Prince Alois I of Liechtenstein

“…and the Prince told me he had had a pair of pretty little shoes placed under the portrait which, as he told his grandparents, had just slipped off her feet and fallen to the ground.”

Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun in her memoirs, 1793

Eduard Ströhling, detail from “Portrait of Prince Alois I of Liechtenstein,“ 1794

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Prince Johann I (1760–1836) ended his military career in 1810

with the rank of Field Marshal and from then on dedicated

himself to art and maintaining his estates. He continued the

projects started by his brother, Prince Alois I, and completed

the design of the landscaped garden between Feldsberg and

Eisgrub. His passion for garden design led him to plant pine

groves around the family seat at Hinterbrühl and he also laid

out other parks on his estates.

Thanks to his involvement, the idea of transferring the picture

gallery displaying the Princely Collection to the Garden Palace

became a reality and in 1807 he opened the museum to inter-

ested visitors. The park was also converted into a landscaped

garden and opened to the Viennese people, boasting attrac-

tions such as the Belvedere by the Baroque architect Johann

Bernhard Fischer von Erlach (1656–1723) that was still standing

at the time, and greenhouses full of rare plants.

Prince Johann I encouraged contemporary artists like Heinrich

von Füger (1751–1818), who painted portraits of his children,

and added many new acquisitions to the collection, including

works by Old Masters.

The Census at Bethlehem

Pieter Brueghel the Younger (1564–1638) and his brother Jan

Brueghel the Elder (1568–1625) were the sons of the famous

Dutch artist Pieter Brueghel the Elder (c. 1525–1569), greatly

celebrated for the insights he provided into the lives of country

people and for his depictions of different traditions and seasons.

The brothers worked in their father’s studio and were influenced

by his compositions. While Jan Brueghel the Elder made a name

for himself painting landscapes and still-life pictures of flowers,

his brother followed in the footsteps of his father and emulated

both his subjects and his style. Importantly, thanks to his copies

of his father’s pictures, an impression remains of some of the

works that have since been lost.

With the Census painting, Pieter Brueghel the Younger copied

a work by his father that is still to be seen in Brussels and was

signed in 1566. There are supposed to have been more than ten

copies of that painting, an indication of the esteem in which it

was held.

The Census at Bethlehem, described in Luke’s Gospel, takes

place in the setting of a snowy Dutch village. The detail of the

painting is such that it tells a story about the everyday village

scenes in which the protagonists Joseph and Mary, the latter

riding on a donkey, play a part.

Prince Johann I of Liechtenstein

“…probably the greatest aedile (responsible for public buildings in Ancient Rome) and horticulturalist not only in his own country but among all his contemporaries…”

Josef Haderer about Prince Johann I, 1829

Johann Baptist Lampi, detail from “Portrait of Prince Johann I of Liechtenstein,“ 1816

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Prince Alois II of Liechtenstein

Prince Alois II (1796–1858) of Liechtenstein had a preference

for English culture and thus had two of his palaces redesigned

in historical styles that were regarded as particularly elegant

in Great Britain at the time: the palace in Eisgrub was rebuilt

in neo-Gothic style, and the palace in Vienna’s town center in

neo-Baroque style. Countless specialists in furniture, textiles

and carpentry were employed on the interiors there for years,

under the guidance of the British architect Peter Hubert Des-

vignes (1804–1883). Michael Thonet (1796–1871) made the

floors of the state rooms using the bentwood technique, for

the first and only time. During the renovations, the family lived

in the Palais Rasumofsky, the rooms of which were depicted in

watercolors by the artist Rudolf von Alt (1812–1905), giving us

an impression of the lifestyle of the Princely Family. The open-

ing of the refurbished palace was celebrated in February 1847

with a lavish ball, reported with eulogies in the Viennese press.

Prince Alois II was also very interested in the art of painting and

allowed members of his family to be painted by the masters of

the Biedermeier period not only in portraits but also in scenes

from everyday life.

Portrait of Princess Marie Franziska of Liechtenstein

In 1836, Friedrich von Amerling (1803–1887) was commissioned

to paint portraits of the children of Prince Alois II: Karoline, Sophie,

the five-year-old Hereditary Prince and later Prince Johann II on

a grey pony, and Marie Franziska (1834–1909). At that time the

family were living in the Palais Rasumofsky while the palace in

the town center was being renovated.

Marie Franziska was painted at the age of two, a peaceful

image of a child sleeping. Her head is resting on a cushion,

her cheeks are slightly reddened, the curls playing round

her face shine in the light and the Princess’s arm is holding

her doll tightly. The portrait is a particularly successful com-

position in which the artist has captured the peace and

contentedness of the delightful little girl extremely skillfully

with his brush strokes.

A few years later, Peter Fendi (1796–1842) painted delicate

watercolors of Princess Marie Franziska and her sister, Princess

Karoline, at the Eisgrub palace, once again recording intimate

moments in the lives of members of the Princely Family.

“He himself (...) a devotee of the arts, he did things on a large scale, and loved to make everything magnificent, just as perfect and complete as was possible for the artists and craftsmen of his day.”

Jacob of Falke, librarian to the Prince, about Prince Alois IIof Liechtenstein, 1882

Friedrich von Amerling, detail from “Prince Alois II of Liechtenstein in the regalia of the Order of the Golden Fleece“, 1845

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Prince Johann II of Liechtenstein

Prince Johann II (1840–1929) dedicated himself to artistic affairs

throughout his life. He added numerous acquisitions to the

Princely Collection and donated high-quality works of art to

Viennese art galleries, including the gallery of the Academy of

Fine Arts. The City Museum in Vienna has the Prince to thank

for its extensive collection of paintings from the Biedermeier

period. In purchasing, hanging and displaying the objects in

his own palaces, he was advised by the Biedermeier artist

Friedrich von Amerling (1803–1887) and the Berlin art historian

Wilhelm von Bode (1845–1929). He also gave instructions for

the holdings of the collection to be cataloged and the catalog

published. The furniture and objets d’art that he displayed in

the Garden Palace created a personal and intimate impression

and reflected the Prince’s excellent taste. He had the Princely

Family’s castles in Vaduz and in Hinterbrühl near Vienna recon-

structed in accordance with the historical style popular at the

time, namely as show castles.

It is not only in his acquisitions, donations and support for scien-

tific research that the generosity of Prince Johann II can be seen;

he also gave donations to charitable institutions, marking him

out as a true philanthropist.

Roses

Georg Ferdinand Waldmüller (1793–1865), one of the most

well-known representatives of the Biedermeier period, created

not only landscapes and genre scenes but also a great many

still-life paintings. Having started his career as a miniaturist,

he applied the same techniques to the detail of his paintings

and he always painted exactly what he saw in nature. The play

of the light on different surfaces and the intensity of the colors

were always important elements in his compositions.

Reality was the model that served as the source for his inspi-

ration. In this still-life with roses, Waldmüller combined rich

shades of pink with the green tints of the leaves and the reflective

surfaces of the precious silverware. His depiction of the differ-

ent stages of fullness of the roses, from buds to heavy flowers,

and the careful use of shadow, create an incredibly realistic

effect. Waldmüller remarked several times in his writings on his

special access to nature as a model: Nature is so rich, so diverse

and transient that none other than the eye of a talented artist

can discover such wealth and exploit such fullness.

“For what purpose am I a prince, if I cannot give.”

Prince Johann II

John Quincy Adams, detail from “Portrait of Prince Johann II of Liechtenstein,“ 1908

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Europe Austria, Vienna, Salzburg

Ireland, Dublin

Principality of Liechtenstein, Vaduz

Switzerland, Basel, Berne, Chur, Davos, Geneva,

Lugano, Pfaeffikon, Zurich

United Kingdom, London

Australia/Oceania Australia, Sydney

Asia China, Beijing

Hong Kong

Japan, Tokyo

Singapore

Middle East Bahrain, Manama

United Arab Emirates, Dubai

America United States, New York

Uruguay, Montevideo

A complete address list of all LGT locations can be seen at www.lgt.com

International presence

Imprint

Masterpieces

LIECHTENSTEIN. The Princely Collections,

Vaduz−Vienna

Editorial team

Birgit Schmidt, Art Historian, Vienna

LGT Group Marketing & Communications

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LGT Bank (Switzerland) Ltd.Rue du Rhône 21, CH-1204 GenevaPhone +41 22 318 65 00, lgt.ch@lgt.com

www.lgt.ch

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