Treasury (Vienna)

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Spiritual treasury, interior view
The Swiss Gate to the Schweizerhof and the Treasury

The Imperial Treasury in the Hofburg in Vienna is the part of the former collections of the House of Habsburg or Habsburg-Lothringen in which the objects of the highest dynastic or religious importance were kept. It is divided into a spiritual and a secular treasury. It is one of the most important collections of its kind.

The treasury, which was managed as a department of the Art History Museum (KHM) after the end of the monarchy in 1918, and the dissolution of the imperial court and the Hofärars , is located in the Swiss wing , the oldest part of the Hofburg . The wrought-iron entrance door with the monogram of Emperor Charles VI is still original . which is no longer used as such. The collection, formerly known as the ecclesiastical and secular treasury, has been called the Imperial Treasury by the KHM since 2012.

History of the collection

In 1556, Ferdinand I brought the art expert Jacopo Strada from Nuremberg to the Hofburg in Vienna as his court antiquarius and administrator of the imperial treasury . At that time, the imperial collections were mixed up with motley, the division into paintings, handicrafts, religious objects and insignia was not made until the middle of the 18th century. The place of storage was traditionally the Augustinian monastery .

Under Maria Theresa , the Crown Treasure was separated from the rest of the collections and already placed where the Spiritual Treasury is today. There was the assumption that this new arrangement was intended to distract from the fact that part of the Habsburg art chamber was sold or minted in order to finance the wars against Prussia . At the end of the Holy Roman Empire, its insignia were added to the treasure; they were brought to safety from Napoleon from Nuremberg and Aachen .

From 1871 onwards, the treasures of the empire and Austria were exhibited - later parallel to the exhibition of the other Habsburg collectibles in the art and natural history museum , opened in 1891 and 1889, respectively. The propaganda purpose of emphasizing the priority of the ore house in Central Europe undoubtedly played a role a role.

After the First World War , the exhibition was reorganized and moved to its current location. Now objects could also be seen that had not previously been shown for reasons of political inopportunity, such as the coronation regalia of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Veneto (in the monarchy they did not want to commemorate the loss of this land in 1859 or 1866). On the other hand, some objects were no longer in the collection because members of the Habsburg family could claim them as personal possessions, especially jewelery and other pieces of jewelry. Some of these objects from the personal belongings of the last imperial couple were brought to Switzerland by a confidante of the family at the beginning of November 1918.

From the Nazi regime were crown jewels of the Holy Roman Empire brought to Nuremberg in 1938, but by the American US occupying power in 1945 brought back. After 1945 there were still minor changes to the arrangement, which mainly concerned the design of the premises.

The parts of the treasury

The treasury is divided into the secular and the spiritual treasury .

The secular treasury is divided into several departments:

Austrian imperial insignia

Insignia of the Holy Roman Empire

Frontal view of the imperial crown

Insignia of the Austrian hereditary homage

Insignia of the Austrian Empire

Burgundian Heritage and the Order of the Golden Fleece

  • The Burgundian treasure came into the possession of the Habsburgs with the marriage of Mary of Burgundy to the Archduke and later Emperor Maximilian I. Various objects have been preserved and exhibited, including a court cup (or goblet) made from rock crystal and gold and a gold brooch. Various objects that belong to the Order of the Golden Fleece also come from Burgundy and the Netherlands, which is why they are exhibited in the common rooms.
  • The treasure of the Order of the Golden Fleece , the highest ranking order of the Habsburg Monarchy. Art objects from the possession of Charles the Bold as well as vestments and vestments from the Order of the Fleece are exhibited here. The latter are important works of art because of their fine embroidery, which can hardly be imitated today.
  • The vestments of the Order of the Golden Fleece

The (ecclesiastical) vestments of the Order of the Golden Fleece, also known as the Burgundian Parament Treasure , include the liturgical upper garments for three clergymen that are commonly used for festive worship. This includes two antependia , of which the lower one hung in front of the altar, the upper one above or behind it. In possession of the order since 1447, neither the symbol of the order nor a motto of Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy appears on the regalia . However, it is certain that the Duke commissioned these “most precious robes in the world” to increase his princely representation and to increase the splendor of the Burgundian court in the religious sphere as well.

Spiritual treasury, regalia

The regalia are extremely noble and precious, the materials used are gold, silk and pearls. Two different embroidery techniques were used at the same time, the portraits of Our Lady and the Savior are Dutch panel paintings in style, similar to the newly emerging realism. This regalia is still one of the most important artistic achievements of its time.

The combination of needle painting made of densely embroidered silk threads of graduated color (so occurring in the incarnate ) was combined with glaze embroidery. Colored silk was processed, which gives the amorphous surface made of gold threads the desired representation and modeling. This gives the whole thing a shimmering sheen. The latter met the striving of the Middle Ages for color magic and beyond-directed light mysticism. Gold meant sacred light, was a sign of brightness and aroused the idea of ​​true divine light.

Habsburg-Lorraine house treasure

  • Objects from the Habsburg family, such as the Stephan Bocskai crown or relief tiles from Ferdinand II's private crown . In these rooms there is also a collection of baptismal sets that lead to the ecclesiastical treasury .
  • The two inalienable heirlooms of the House of Austria : the Ainkhürn and the agate bowl , two objects that lie in the middle between curiosities and religious objects. The three sons of Emperor Ferdinand I considered them too valuable treasures to be given to one of them after the death of their father with sole power of disposal. So met Maximilian II. With his brothers Ferdinand II. And Charles II. To hold on August 11, 1564 documented agreement, the two pieces forever at home and Austria to ban their sale forever. The elder of the house should keep them.
  • Napoleonica: Relics from the property of the King of Rome and Empress Marie Louise , in particular the cradle of the little Napoleon Franz, who was referred to as Franz Duke of Reichstadt when he lived in Austria.

Spiritual treasury

In the spiritual treasury there are mainly devotional pictures and altars , most of them from the Baroque period .

Key exhibits

  • Imperial crown of the Holy Roman Empire,
    West German, 10th century, gold, enamel, precious stones, pearls

  • Court beaker made of rock crystal, Burgundian heritage
    Burgundian-Dutch, between 1453 and 1467 rock crystal; Gold, en ronde bosse enamel, pits, pearls, diamonds

  • The vestibule of the Order of the Golden Fleece
    Gold and silver threads in lay-on technique, embroidery with silk

  • Image of the Virgin Mary made of feathers, Juan Baptista Cuiris spiritual treasury
    from Pátzcuaro ( Michoacán , Mexico), 1550/1580 hummingbird and parrot feathers, paper ground, wood

  • Family tree with the kings and emperors of the House of Habsburg, Habsburg-Lothringischer Hausschatz
    Trees: Vienna, around 1725/1730 Intagli: Christoph Dorsch (1676–1732), Nuremberg Gold, Chalcedony

  • Brooch, Burgundian Heritage
    Burgundy-Dutch, around 1430/40. Gold, enamel, precious stones, pearls. SK Inv. No. PI 130.

  • Aquamarine , house treasure
    492 carats

  • The agate bowl , one of the two inalienable heirlooms of the House of Austria
    Constantinople (?), 4th century AD. Agate.

Web links

Commons : Secular and Spiritual Treasury  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

literature

  • Secular and spiritual treasury . Residenz-Verlag, Salzburg and Vienna 1987, ISBN 3-7017-0499-6 .
  • Major works of the secular treasury . Kunsthistorisches Museum with MVK and ÖTM, Vienna 2005, ISBN 3-85497-091-9 .
  • The treasury in Vienna. Legitimation of a European ruling house . ISBN 3-901860-02-9 .
  • Hermann Fillitz : The treasury in Vienna. Symbols of occidental empire . ISBN 3-7017-0443-0 .
  • Hermann Fillitz: The treasury in Vienna . Schroll, Vienna 1964.
  • Hermann Fillitz: The secular treasury in Vienna . Klinkhardt & Biermann, Vienna 1959.
  • Franz Kirchweger, Wilfried Seipel : The Holy Lance in Vienna: Insignia - Relic - "Spear of Fate" . Kunsthistorisches Museum with MVK and ÖTM, Vienna 2005, ISBN 3-85497-090-0 .
  • Manfred Leithe-Jasper, Rudolf Distelberger : Art History Museum. Volume 1. The Treasury . 5th edition. CH Beck, Munich 2009, ISBN 978-3-406-59178-5 .
  • Julius von Schlosser : The treasure chamber of the very highest imperial house in Vienna, represented in its most distinguished monuments . With 64 plates and 44 text illustrations. Schroll, Vienna 1918 ( digitized version )

Coordinates: 48 ° 12 '23.6 "  N , 16 ° 21' 55.5"  E