Collected Privately, Presented Publicly: The Collections of the Esterházy Princes and the Public in the Second Half of the Nineteenth Century

Abstract

The Esterházys were the most important family of the Hungarian aristocracy, producing politicians, bishops, generals and a prime minister. Their collections, built up over centuries, were opened to the public as early as the nineteenth century, the first being a picture gallery in their palace in Vienna. This collection was sold to the Hungarian state in 1871 and is now the basis of the Museum of Fine Arts. After 1867, their most important historical objects were increasingly often loaned to the first historical exhibitions of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy in Budapest and Vienna. This raised the standard of these exhibitions, allowed experts and the public to become acquainted with objects from private collections in Hungary, and enabled the lenders to present the history and significance of their families in the context of the history of the country and the nation, in the spirit of social responsibility. This study uses historical sources to describe the process of object lending and the public presentation of private collections.

Keywords

• esterházy princes
• private collection
• historical exhibitions
• publicity
• nineteenth century