MISC

Liebieghaus: from Ancient Egypt to Neoclassicism

November 16, 2015 /

Walking by the tranquil water of the Main, Daiana and I stopped-by Liebieghaus; a museum that accommodates a sculpture collection of the highest quality as a complement to the already existing painting collection in the Städel Museum.

Formerly a retirement home for the Bohemian textile manufacturer Baron Heinrich von Liebieg (1839–1904), the museum is surrounded by a romantic garden where ancient sculptures are hidden between the trees.

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The splendid Liebieg Villa was built between the 1892 and 1896 by the architect Leonhard Romeis; its design combines features of different architectural styles from all over Europe.

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The museum’s collection includes ancient Greek, Roman and Egyptian sculpture, as well as Medieval, Baroque, Renaissance and Classicist pieces, and works from the Far East. The collection was built up mostly through endowments and international purchases, and is universal in scope, with no particular link to the art or history of Frankfurt.

Some of the exhibits include:

athenaStatue of Athena, Ad 180-190.

dionysusTriumphal procession of Dionysus, Ad 160/170.

WomanPortrait of a Deceased Woman, Palmyra (Syria), AD200/250.

egyptcoffinlidCoffins of Takait, Priestess of Amun, New Kingdom 19th Dynasty 13th C. BC

vizierFigure of the Vizier Paser, Egypt, Deir el-Bahari, New Kingdom, 19th Century, 13th c. BC

mummygirlMummy Portrait of a Girl, Roman Egypt, 120–150 AD

 

Unlike museums which have grown out of the royalty’s passion for collecting, the Liebieghaus is a remarkable result of municipal and civil commitment. As early as the beginning of the twentieth century, it proved possible to acquire numerous outstanding works for the museum within a few short years. Prominent sculptures from other municipal museums of Frankfurt as well as various private collections were likewise thus brought together. The museum accordingly reflects collection activities pursued on an ongoing basis on the very highest level of quality.

The dedication of the citizens of Frankfurt – expressed in very special manner in donations to the collection – is of fundamental importance for the museum’s self-conception, and continues to play a major role to the very present.

Liebieghaus Sculpture Collection
Schaumainkai 71
60596 Frankfurt am Main
http://www.liebieghaus.de

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