View of Linz with Artist Drawing in the Foreground, Lucas van Valckenborch
Lucas van Valckenborch
View of Linz with Artist Drawing in the Foreground
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Lucas van Valckenborch

View of Linz with Artist Drawing in the Foreground, 1593


Dimensions
23.3 x 36 x min. 0.8 cm
maximum depth
0.8 cm
Physical Description
Mixed technique on poplar
Inventory Number
158
Acquisition
Acquired in 1816 with the founder’s bequest
Status
On display, 2nd upper level, Old Masters, room 9

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About the Work

Archduke Ernest of Austria was prepared to pay 30 thalers for this little panel painting and presumably took it with him to the Habsburg Netherlands. Lucas van Valckenborch had been in the service of Ernest's brother, Matthias, who later became emperor. However, the work must have been painted in Frankfurt, where the artist had settled in 1593. When executing the painting, he was able to refer to drawings in his possession which he had made during his time at the court in Linz. The viewer gazes down into the Danube Valley from the Pöstlingberg together with the artist, who personally guarantees the accuracy. The parish church of Linz, the main square with the town hall and Castle Hill are all easily recognisable.

About the Acquisition

In March 1815, the Frankfurt businessman and banker Johann Friedrich Städel bequeathed his entire fortune and art collection to a foundation which was to be named after him: the 'Städelsches Kunstinstitut'. However, he also dedicated the foundation to the citizens of Frankfurt immaterially, wishing it to be an "adornment and of practical use" to Frankfurt's citizenry. He was thus the first ordinary citizen in the German-speaking region to found a public art museum: the present-day Städel Museum. When he died, his collection comprised 476 paintings, some 4,600 drawings, almost 10,000 printed graphics and valuable books.

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Last update

10.10.2024