The Leuchtenberg Gallery was the collection of artworks of the

Dukes of Leuchtenberg Duke of Leuchtenberg was a title created twice by the monarchs of Bavaria for their relatives. The first creation was awarded by Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria to his son Maximilian Philipp Hieronymus, upon whose death without children the land ...

, on public display in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

. The collection was widely known in 19th-century Europe, due to being open to the public and having a high-quality illustrated catalogue in different languages, and was considered one of the most important private collections of the time. The collection was a heritage from Napoleonic times through

Joséphine de Beauharnais Josephine may refer to: People * Josephine (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Josephine (singer), a Greek pop singer Places *Josephine, Texas, United States *Mount Josephine (disambiguation) * Josephine Count ...

, but with new additions by the subsequent Dukes, especially

Eugène de Beauharnais Eugène Rose de Beauharnais, Duke of Leuchtenberg (; 3 September 1781 – 21 February 1824) was a French nobleman, statesman, and military commander who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. Through the second marr ...

. In 1810, Eugène de Beauharnais bought part of the collection of Giovanni Francesco Arese, including at least one painting by

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens (; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish artist and diplomat from the Duchy of Brabant in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium). He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque traditio ...

. By 1841, the collection was largely complete. The Gallery was located in the

Palais Leuchtenberg The Palais Leuchtenberg, (known between 1853 and 1933 as the Luitpold Palais or Prinz Luitpold Palais) built in the early 19th century for Eugène de Beauharnais, first Duke of Leuchtenberg, is the largest palace in Munich. Located on the west si ...

, the house of the Leuchtenberg family in Munich, built by

Leo von Klenze Leo von Klenze (Franz Karl Leopold von Klenze; 29 February 1784, Buchladen (Bockelah / Bocla) near Schladen – 26 January 1864, Munich) was a German neoclassicist architect, painter and writer. Court architect of Bavarian King Ludwig I, Leo ...

between 1817 and 1821. It was opened to the public from at least 1837 on. The collection was catalogued in French and German from 1825 on, with a new version in German from 1841 on, and in an illustrated catalogue in English in 1852. After the death of Duke Maximilian in 1852, the Gallery was closed, the collection divided between his children, and the Palace sold to

Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria ''Leopold Charles Joseph William Louis'' , image_size = , image = Luitpold Wittelsbach cropped.jpg , succession = Prince Regent of Bavaria , reign = 10 June 1886 – 12 December 1912 , reign-type = Tenure , regent = Ludw ...

. Part of the collection was transferred to

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

in 1854, where it was displayed in the

Mariinsky Palace Mariinsky Palace (), also known as Marie Palace, was the last neoclassical Imperial residence to be constructed in Saint Petersburg. It was built between 1839 and 1844, designed by the court architect Andrei Stackenschneider. It houses the cit ...

, and from 1870 on was lent to the

Imperial Academy of Arts The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, was an art academy in Saint Petersburg, founded in 1757 by the founder of the Imperial Moscow University Ivan Shuvalov under the name ''Academy of the Thre ...

. The remainder moved together with

Eugen Maximilianovich, Duke of Leuchtenberg Prince Eugen Maximilianovich Romanowsky, 5th Duke of Leuchtenberg (8 February 1847 – 31 August 1901) was a son of Maximilian de Beauharnais, 3rd Duke of Leuchtenberg and Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia Duke of Leuchtenberg. He succeeded ...

, from Munich to Saint Petersburg in 1863. While the collection was still growing in the 1860s with purchases by

Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia (Maria Nikolaevna Romanova; Russian: Великая Княжна Мария Николаевна, 17 July 1918) was the third daughter of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and Tsarina Alexandra Feodorovna. He ...

, by the end of the century, some works were being sold off. The majority of the collection remained together until the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...

in 1917, when it was dispersed and a number of paintings sold in Sweden. Many works were acquired by the Hermitage and the

Pushkin Museum The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts (russian: Музей изобразительных искусств имени А. С. Пушкина, abbreviated as ) is the largest museum of European art in Moscow, located in Volkhonka street, just oppo ...

, with others ending up in museums all over the world. For example,

Parmigianino Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola (11 January 150324 August 1540), also known as Francesco Mazzola or, more commonly, as Parmigianino (, , ; "the little one from Parma"), was an Italian Mannerist painter and printmaker active in Florence, Rome, Bo ...

's ''

Circumcision of Jesus The circumcision of Jesus is an event from the life of Jesus, according to the Gospel of Luke chapter 2, which states: And when eight days were fulfilled to circumcise the child, his name was called Jesus, the name called by the angel before h ...

'' is now housed at the

Detroit Institute of Arts The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), located in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, has one of the list of largest art museums, largest and most significant art collections in the United States. With over 100 galleries, it covers with a major renovation a ...

. The remaining works are either lost or in private collections.

Collection

This is the full collection from the 1852 catalogue of the Gallery, listed with the most common modern name for the artists instead of the names used in the catalogue. In addition, some works present in the 1826 or 1841 catalogues but not in the 1852 catalogue have been included. Where known, the most recent attribution and current location of the work have been noted. The first appearance of a work in an older catalogue of the Gallery has also been indicated. This includes the 1826 and expanded 1841 German language catalogues.

Paintings

Sculptures

References

External links

* {{Coord, 48, 8, 39.28, N, 11, 34, 39.17, E, , display=title Art museums and galleries in Munich Defunct art museums and galleries ** Art museums disestablished in 1852 1852 disestablishments in Germany Private collections in Germany German art collectors

Leuchtenberg Leuchtenberg is a Municipalities of Germany, municipality in the Neustadt an der Waldnaab (district), district of Neustadt an der Waldnaab in Bavaria, Germany, essentially a suburb of nearby Weiden in der Oberpfalz, and a larger historical region ...

Former private collections