Mozart in Italy and the Enigma of a Collection: Newly-Discovered Portraits and Artifacts Cliff Eisen
Mozart in Italy and the Enigma of a Collection: Newly-Discovered Portraits and Artifacts Cliff Eisen In a letter written at Brussels on 4 November 1763, addressed to his Salzburg friend, landlord and financier Johann Lorenz Hagenauer, Leopold Mozart briefly described what he called his ‘Peruvian treasures and riches’:‘Little Wolfgang has been given two magnificent swords, one from Count von Frankenberg, Archbishop of Malines, the other from General Count de Ferraris. My little girl has received Dutch lace from the archbishop, and from other courtiers cloaks, coats and so on. With snuffboxes and etuis and such junk we shall soon be able to rig out a stall ‘.1 This was just a first, brief description of a horde of valuable objects that the family collected on their travels: by the time the Mozarts returned to Salzburg in 1766, they had with them, or had sent ahead, several large coffers full of gifts, items that they had purchased while on tour, and memorabilia. Beda Hübner, the librarian of St Peter’s, Salzburg, noted in his diary for 8 December 1766: I . saw all the tributes and presents which the aforesaid Herr Mozart and his children had received from the great monarchs and princes during their costly journey: of gold pocket watches he has brought home 9; of gold snuff-boxes he has received 12; of gold rings set with the most handsome precious stones he has so many that he does not know himself how many; earrings for the girl, necklaces, knives with golden blades, bottle holders, writing tackle, toothpick boxes, gold objets for the girl, writing tablets and suchlike gewgaws without number and without end .
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