Publication details
Obrazárna Salm-Reifferscheidtů na zámku v Rájci nad Svitavou
| Title in English | The Salm-Reifferscheidt Picture Gallery at the Castle in Rájec nad Svitavou |
|---|---|
| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2013 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Prostor Zlín |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Art, architecture, cultural heritage |
| Keywords | Salm-Reifferscheidt; picture gallery; Rájec nad Svitavou castle; collecting; aristocracy; 18th-20th century |
| Description | The history of the picture gallery at the Castle in Rájec nad Svitavou takes its roots from the Salm-Reifferscheidt family from Moravia. The gallery`s founder was Anton Carl Josef of Salm-Reifferscheidt (1720-1769). From 1763 to 1769, he built the representative residence and filled it with paintings and other pieces of art. The later expansion of the gallery was taken over by his son Carl Josef of Salm-Reifferscheidt (1750-1838), and thus the Rájec gallery collection, soon after it was established, became one of the most significant aristocratic collections in Moravia. It continued to grow in the period of Hugo I. Francis of Salm-Reifferscheidt (1776-1836), with the works of H. V. Schnorr von Carolsfeld, P. Fendi, K. Russ and J. Führich. Later, Hugo II. Carl Edward of Salm-Reifferscheidt (1803-1888) commissioned paintings E. Seibertz to decorate the book cases for the newly purchased palace in Prague, and also paint several representative portraits. During the annual Exhibitions of Fine Arts in Prague (exhibitions of Krasoumná jednota), he purchased a collection of late Romantic works of art, predominantly landscapes from the schools in Munich (Ch. Morgenstern, E. Schleich Sr., M. Haushofer) and Düsseldorf (J. W. Schirmer, A. W. Leu, etc.). During the second half of the 19th century, the newly acquired paintings primarily served as a source of decoration for the interiors of the representative Blansko Castle, home of Hugo III. Francis of Salm-Reifferscheidt (1832-1890). In addition to the exclusive portraits from the leading portrait artists of that period (H. von Angeli, F. von Lenbach, F. Schrotzberg, and others), the Salm-Reifferscheidt family added the works of the friendly painters (R. C. Huber, A. Lach, L. Gurlitt, J. Nielssen, A. Böcklin, etc.) to its collection. In 1945, the castle in Rájec, together with its artistic furnishings, became nationalized and has since that time been accessible to the public. |
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