Ludwig von Baldass (german: Ludwig von Baldaß; 1887–1963) was an

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n art historian, professor and acclaimed author who specialised in

Early Netherlandish painting Early Netherlandish painting, traditionally known as the Flemish Primitives, refers to the work of artists active in the Burgundian and Habsburg Netherlands during the 15th- and 16th-century Northern Renaissance period. It flourished especiall ...

.Baldass, Ludwig von
Dictionary of Art Historians. Retrieved 17 March 2012. He studied under

Max Dvořák Max Dvořák (4 June 1874 – 8 February 1921) was a Czech-born Austrian art historian. He was a professor of art history at the University of Vienna and a famous member of the Vienna School of Art History, employing a ''Geistesgeschichte'' metho ...

at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich histor ...

and began to lecture there in 1926, gaining the position of professor in 1934. Von Baldass' 1942 treatise on

Hans Memling Hans Memling (also spelled Memlinc; c. 1430 – 11 August 1494) was a painter active in Flanders, who worked in the tradition of Early Netherlandish painting. He was born in the Middle Rhine region and probably spent his childhood in Mainz. He ...

was instrumental in the re-evaluation of his artistic importance. Other publications include articles and books on

Jan van Eyck Jan van Eyck ( , ; – July 9, 1441) was a painter active in Bruges who was one of the early innovators of what became known as Early Netherlandish painting, and one of the most significant representatives of Early Northern Renaissance art. Ac ...

(1952),

Hieronymus Bosch Hieronymus Bosch (, ; born Jheronimus van Aken ; – 9 August 1516) was a Dutch/Netherlandish painter from Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work, generally oil on oa ...

(1953),

Giorgione Giorgione (, , ; born Giorgio Barbarelli da Castelfranco; 1477–78 or 1473–74 – 17 September 1510) was an Italian painter of the Venetian school during the High Renaissance, who died in his thirties. He is known for the elusive poetic qualit ...

and

Albrecht Altdorfer Albrecht Altdorfer (12 February 1538) was a German painter, engraver and architect of the Renaissance working in Regensburg, Bavaria. Along with Lucas Cranach the Elder and Wolf Huber he is regarded to be the main representative of the Danube Sc ...

.Ludwig Baldass (1887–1963)
. LibraryThing. Retrieved 18 March 2012 Following the

Anschluss The (, or , ), also known as the (, en, Annexation of Austria), was the annexation of the Federal State of Austria into the German Reich on 13 March 1938. The idea of an (a united Austria and Germany that would form a " Greater Germany ...

with

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

, von Baldass adhered to the Nazis' policy on the arts. When the Reich began a campaign of plundering works from Jewish collectors, members of the

Rothschild family The Rothschild family ( , ) is a wealthy Ashkenazi Jewish family originally from Frankfurt that rose to prominence with Mayer Amschel Rothschild (1744–1812), a court factor to the German Landgraves of Hesse-Kassel in the Free City of F ...

attempted to leave the country, taking their paintings with them. Von Baldass, acting as a faithful Nazi party member, resisted and frustrated their efforts in a bid to prevent the works from leaving Austria. As a result, most passed into the hands of the Nazi state. After the war, Louis Rothschild attempted to reclaim parts of his collection, but von Baldass made use of his influence and bargained that some pieces should stay in the care of the state

Kunsthistorisches Museum The Kunsthistorisches Museum ( "Museum of Art History", often referred to as the "Museum of Fine Arts") is an art museum in Vienna, Austria. Housed in its festive palatial building on the Vienna Ring Road, it is crowned with an octagonal do ...

, in return for the passage of a number of others back to the Rothschild family. De Rothschild was eventually and reluctantly forced to concede to these terms. Von Baldass retired from lecturing in 1949 and devoted himself to writing; his most important works were published after 1952. He was married to Paula Wagner, a granddaughter of the architect

Otto Wagner Otto Koloman Wagner (; 13 July 1841 – 11 April 1918) was an Austrian architect, furniture designer and urban planner. He was a leading member of the Vienna Secession movement of architecture, founded in 1897, and the broader Art Nouveau move ...

Publications

* ''Albrecht Altdorfer''. Gallus Verlag, 1941 * ''Hans Memling''. 1942 * ''Conrad Laib und die beiden Rueland Frueauf''. V von Anton Schroll, 1946 * ''Jan van Eyck''. Phaidon Press, 1952 * ''Hieronimus Bosch''. Abrams, 1960 * ''Giorgione''. Thames & Hudson, (posthumously) 1965

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baldass, Ludwig von Austrian art historians 1887 births 1963 deaths Academics of the University of Vienna Scholars of Dutch art Scholars of Netherlandish art