The Habsburg Research Paper

As Edgar Degas once said, “ Art is not what you see, but what others make you see”. The St. Louis Art Museum is a place for artist to display their art and give spectators the option to see art from a new perspective. This was the case for me. As we walked up to the beautifully structured building that stood so tall and wide, my expectations were extremely high. At first glance I notice the bronze statue of King Louis IX of France riding high on his horse. From this statue alone, my expectations of the art museum grew stronger. I have never been to an art museum before, so I wasn’t sure of what to expect. My first expectation was to see huge detailed sculptures right as I walked through the door. That expectation didn’t come true.

Every artwork has different significance, history, and structure. During these past few weeks I have retained more knowledge regarding to art and have seen different types of artwork. Among those different types of artwork there are three different types that I will be discussing about, which are the following, the double portrait of Menkaure and Khamerernebty, Lady of Auxerre, and Flavian Portraiture.

These famous pictures that represent the Byzantine Emperor Justinian and his wife Theodor seem quite interesting. I could not grasp the photos by just one glance, but after researching the history and taking a step back to analyze the portraits a few more times I was able to discover it's true meanings.

Throughout history there has been many religious conflicts. Of those, the Habsburg and Ottoman Empire are two of them. The Habsburg Empire was considered a Catholic Empire and the Ottoman was an Islam Empire. Charles V owned the Habsburg Empire. He inherited castile-Aragon (Spain) and the Habsburg territories. He also became the ruler of Aztec and Inca Empires in the Americas. (Sivers, Desnoyer, Stow 2012 Pg. 537) After battling against France in 1519, Charles was the title of emperor. In 1299, Osman Bey was in charge of the Ottoman Empire when he established independent rule in Anatolia. The expansion of the Ottoman Empire began in 1453.

The House of Habsburgs also known as the house of Austria was one royal house that had a great influence in Europe. The House of Habsburgs continuously ruled over the Holy Roman throne from around 1438 to around 1740. The house also produced kings and emperors for other kingdoms like the kingdom of Germany, England and France. The house was split in the 16th century following the rule of King Charles V, it was split into Austrian and Danish branches where there were no close relationships between them, and they even intermarried among themselves. With the dynastic marriages, the house was able to expand its domain but it became extinct in the 18th century.

The exhibit that I viewed at the Philadelphia Museum of Art was one about European Art between the years 1100-1500. This was a series of paintings, sculptures, architecture, and tapestry of the Medieval and Early Renaissance as well as objects from the Middle East. This exhibit was an important part of the history of the Philadelphia Museum of Art because for the first time, Italian, Spanish, and Northern European paintings from the John G. Johnson collection were shown. It gave me a good idea of what the paintings were like in these four centuries and reflected ideas of both the east and the west.

Each of the exhibits are done very well, including a variety of items for each collection. Each exhibit includes art pieces that fit in their category. For example, my favorite art piece of the museum, the fifteen foot painting of ancient dutch philosophers would fit in the category, “Dutch and Flemish”.

Next, each room of art were unique. When I get into each room, some things that surprise me that each room was very exclusive, original and uncommon. Also, the rooms were very enlightened and I personally felt that each room had something for everyone in the family. Another thing that I noted of the museum was the accessibility of each floor, so anybody can go and have a great time without

During their dramatic ascent, they were almost uniquely concerned with a desire to create a coherent image of princely magnificence through the organised application of the arts to their service. While the Medici’s legacy is tremendous, perhaps one of their most significant collections is the Uffizi, which has remained the most comprehensive and famous collection of Florentine Renaissance painting in the world. While the ancestor of the extraordinary collection was the Grand Duke Cosimo I, it was considerably bolstered by later Medici, including Francesco I and the Cardinal Leopoldo de’Medici. Examining the motives and methods behind the creation of such a collection gives an incredible insight into the power of art as a vehicle for propaganda, and

The Holy Roman Empire was a large political unit loosely modelled on the roman empire. The first emperor was Charlemagne, and the last was Francis II. the Empire was created in 800CE, when pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne in Rome, and was dissolved when Francis II abdicated, following his defeat at the hands of Napoleon. It included all or parts of modern day Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland and Switzerland, and was affiliated with multiple other countries as well .

The House of Habsburg's roots reach back to Count Guntram the Rich, the progenitor of the House. He was a count in the area of Breisgau, and related to the powerful Etichonid family. He gained a great deal of land near the Rhine, but lost much of it after being found guilty of treason by Emperor Otto the Great. The family's fortune were restored by Count Radbot von Habsburg, the grandson of Guntram, who built Habsburg Castle and married the daughter of the Duke of Lorraine.

The Holy Roman Empire was a collection of city states that were under the rule of the Holy Roman Emperor. There were a few states that elected the Emperor and then the Pope christened him King of the Holy Roman Empire. Each state acted independently, but the Holy Roman Emperor would,be able to defend the Empire from foreign enemies and be able to keep the states from attacking each other, which didn’t happen. They were basically a loosely held together alliance.

The Smithsonian is known for its realization and absolute beauty shown in the exhibits. Every exhibit of this museum has great detail and precision. Not only was each exhibit filled with things of its nature, but also had the right colors to make you feel the exhibit. For example, the vibes flowing from the ocean hall were incredible. The way they accomplished the feel of actually being in the ocean was a surreal experience to even see through the screen. I also liked the way that everything was pretty close to life scale, like the huge whale hanging from the

Historians often argue two main points in discussing the downfall of the Habsburg Empire: the rise of nationalism and its foreign policy decisions. In the discussion of the first argument, it is important to note the historical background that lead to the rise of nationalism in the Habsburg Empire. Nationalisms’ origins can be said to have been rooted in the French Revolution and was further expanded by Napoleon. The French Revolution “gave force to the ideas of nationalism and liberalism… which threatened the very existence of the Habsburg state which was both illiberal and multi-ethnic” (Pelling 4). The notion of nationality is a complicated one even in the twenty-first century, so to picture the problems that arose within the Habsburg empire,

The pictures often were representations of the composers, the instruments used, or a visual illustration of what the piece was about (Kelly, 185). This is extremely different from the bland pieces of music that musicians read off of today. The books are viewed as more of a work of art and magnificence, than strictly a collection of music. The pictures told stories about why the piece was written. For example, on Gherardello da Frienze’s page, there is an illustration if a dog that bit the back of another animal. Frienze wrote a piece that was performed as a round, or chase, hence a dog chasing a deer (“Squarcialupi Codex”). The Squarcialupi Codex was so expensive and extravagant for the time period that it was only used for special occasions. The margins consist of stunning swirls of vivacious colors, and floral like patterns all encasing musical