1 The Lobkowicz Collections OVERVIEW & SPECIAL PROJECTS 2018 3 Welcome Message from the Director Contents Thank you for your interest in the Lobkowicz and corporate donors, members, friends and The Collections Collections. For the past 20 years, Lobkowicz visitors from around the world. We greatly About the Lobkowicz Collections 6 Collections o.p.s.*, a non-profit organization appreciate this support and look forward to Highlights 7 registered in the Czech Republic, has been building new relationships as we plan our All is Lost... And Regained 8 working to preserve, protect and share with path for the future. Architecture 9 the public the magnificent art, artifacts and This document presents a brief overview Portraits and Decorative Arts 10 buildings returned to the Lobkowicz family of our past accomplishments, current activi- Furniture and Music 11 in restitution after the Velvet Revolution of ties and a selection of priority projects. Its The Lobkowicz Library and Archives 12 1989. purpose is to provide background and con- Through bold vision, careful planning text for the numerous initiatives underway. Activities and great determination, Lobkowicz Col- We hope this information will stimulate The Mission of Lobkowicz Collections o. p. s. 14 lections o.p.s. has opened exhibitions to further interest and engagement from the The Activities of Lobkowicz Collections o. p. s. 15 thousands of visitors, making tens of thou- general public, friends and benefactors in our American Friends for the Preservation of Czech Culture 16 sands of cultural objects available for scholars mission to make the Lobkowicz Collections Educational Programs 17 and the general public. available to art lovers, history enthusiasts, Scholarly Research 18 The resounding success of our projects students, scholars and visitors from all walks Loans 19 to date would not have been possible without of life. Conservation and Restoration 20 the generous contributions of our individual Dita Baker The Art of Giving Priority Projects 23 Contact and Sponsorship 23 * o. p. s. is a non-profit organization designation in the Czech Republic 4 Welcome Message from the Lobkowicz Family Our family’s return to Czechoslovakia after the 1989 Vel- programs and friend organizations to be our pillars in all vet Revolution was inspired by the seismic world events aspects of educational and cultural outreach. of that remarkable November. We are humbled and incredibly motivated by the out- The call of our lost heritage was urgent and compelling, pouring of positive reviews left in our guest books and as was the chance to participate directly in the histo- communicated first-hand by our visitors, who are amazed ric changes taking place in what had been our ancestral by the accessibility and richness of the Collections and home for nearly seven centuries. This was made possible captivated by the living history the current generations in part by passage of a series of restitution laws under the of the family work day-to-day to introduce to the public. inspired leadership of President Václav Havel soon after The challenges remaining are many, but for the first time our return in 1990. in our family’s history, we feel we have an unpre cedented, Since that moment, we have been fully committed to historical opportunity. Rather than just preserving, we are our dual goals: To restore the family’s cultural heritage actively transforming the Collections into an expanded, through the restitution process (an effort now succes sfully dynamic and contextual cultural heritage. Through crea- completed) and to make the Lobkowicz Collections and tive stewardship, spirited public-private partnerships and properties available for public enjoyment and scholarly visionary benefactors, we believe we can deliver a truly enrichment. inspiring connection and lasting contribution to world The injustices endured by confiscations under Nazi and culture and a civil society. Communist regimes are behind us. We feel very strongly We encourage you to join us on this journey by sup- that our family owes future generations our uncompro- porting the initiatives, projects and programs of the mising efforts to carry out our mission. From the start, we Collections. On behalf of the Lobkowicz family, thank characterized our role as managers and custodians of the you for your interest and thoughtful consideration. Collections, establishing non-profit entities to enhance our efforts. As managers, we created concepts, business plans and organizational structures to establish physical and financial foundations of support. As custodians, we developed programming and exhibitions, membership Alexandra and William Lobkowicz 5 The Collections 6 The Collections About The Lobkowicz Collections The Lobkowicz Collections are the oldest and largest private art collections in the Czech Republic. Their sig- nificance lies in their comprehensive nature, reflecting the cultural, social, political and economic life of Central Europe over six centuries. The Collections were amassed over the course of six hundred years by the Roudnice branch of the Lobkowicz family, one of the oldest and most distinguished Bohe- mian noble families. Successive generations of this family held numerous titles, including Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, High Chancellor of Bohemia, Dukes of Sagan and of Roudnice, Count of High Chlumec and Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece. On a scale unimaginable today, they commissioned magnificent architecture and ground-breaking music. They collected paintings, manuscripts, books, musical instruments and decorative arts that enhanced their nu- Antonio Canaletto, London: The Thames on Lord Mayor’s Day, c. 1750 merous residences and increased their prestige within the Habsburg Empire. 7 The Collections Highlights Highlights of the Collections include world- famous paintings by three Brueghels (Pieter the Elder, Pieter the Younger and Jan the Elder), Canaletto, Bellotto, Cranach, Rubens, Dürer Cranach Sassoferrato Castrucci Cleffius Velázquez and Veronese; medieval and Renais sance works of art; ceramics span- ning five centuries, and exceptional arms and armor. The Collections also include one of the finest private libraries in Central Europe, comprehensive historical archives, as well as an unparalleled collection of musical in- struments, musical scores and autograph manuscripts by many of the greatest com- posers of the 17th–19th centuries, including Brueghel Seisseneger Zanchi, attr. Aachen Bellotto Beethoven, Haydn and Mozart. Rubens Beethoven de Mois, attr. Anonymous Canaletto 8 The Collections All is Lost… And Regained The Collections and the family were dramatically Between 1990–1992, President Václav affected by events of the 20th century. Maximilián Havel signed three acts of restitution that Lobkowicz (1888–1967), a lawyer, politician and provided for the return of properties confis- diplomat, provided crucial support to the fledg- cated by the Communists. ling democratic First Czechoslovak Republic of Members of the Lobkowicz family, led by 1918, in spite of its abolishment of hereditary ti- Maximilián’s son Martin and grandson Wil- tles and its redistribution of inherited property. liam, undertook the enormous task of tracing This, combined with his service as Czecho- and reclaiming their many properties and the slovak Ambassador to Great Britain during World extensive art collections scattered through- War II, led directly to the confiscation of the fam- out the country. ily’s properties and possessions by the Nazis in With the successful restitution came an 1939. immense family responsibility: to preserve, Though returned to the family in 1945, the protect and restore these newly returned cul- properties and the Collections were again con- tural monuments in spite of greatly reduced fiscated in 1948, this time by the Communist resources. regime. Lobkowicz Collections o.p.s., a non-profit Maximilián and his immediate family were left organization, was established with the goal with nothing and subsequently spent the next of preserving and presenting to the public forty years dispossessed in exile. these important cultural resources. Last shot of the library spaces in their original location at Roudnice Castle, taken in 1942 during the evacuation of The Collections after the castle was occupied by Nazis 9 The Collections Architecture The Lobkowicz Palace at Prague Castle came into Nelahozeves Castle, one of Bohemia’s finest Re- Roudnice Castle served as the princely and Střekov Castle was built in 1316 on what was then the Lobkowicz family after the marriage of Poly- naissance buildings, is located fifteen miles north ducal seat of the Lobkowicz family for four centu- an important trade route along the Elbe River. The xena of Pernštejn (1566–1642) to Zdeněk Vojtěch, of Prague on the Vltava River. ries. The Castle’s current appearance dates from Castle came to the Lobkowicz family in 1563 and 1st Prince Lobkowicz (1568–1628), in 1603. Built in the 2nd half of the 16th century, the 1652 when Václav Eusebius, 2nd Prince Lobkowicz except for modern periods of confiscation by the In 2002, after more than forty years of Com- Castle was purchased by Polyxena in 1623 and (1609–1677), commissioned Italian architects to Nazi and Communist regimes, it has remained munist rule and a further 12 years seeking the owned by the Lobkowicz family until the middle turn the original Romanesque structure into a Ba- with them ever since. property’s restitution, the Lobkowicz family once of the 20th century, when the Nazis and