The Habsburg Research Paper

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 very first time I ever went to an art museum, I was miserable. I was ten years old, and visiting New York City for the first time, and my father who has worked tirelessly to raise my siblings and me to have an appreciation for higher culture dragged us to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I cried within fifteen minutes of being there. All the people made me feel claustrophobic, and I was so set in my misery that I refused to try to enjoy the art. My mother, with all the patience that mothers are gifted with, took me through the museum. She entertained me with stories of when her and my father first fell in love in the city; rushed lunch dates in the museum, the halfway point between his job and her school. Gradually, we moved away from the more heavily populated galleries, and then it happened.

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.

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.

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 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 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 .

My overall view of the museum is very positive. I truly enjoyed visiting the museum and observing all of the various art pieces the museum holds. It was very interesting to see the large paintings in the “Dutch and Flemish” collection because I personally have always been a painting type of person rather than sculptures and drawings.

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 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

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

     When I went to the museum there were beautiful and amazing art that I really enjoy. My first impression when I walked in was wow and how they made all this. I also thought who came up with these design. There were many crazy and funny looking designs I really liked. I enjoyed the one with a big rock in the middle and sand around it. It was really simple but had so much meaning to it.

The museum was very crowded when I arrived as well. There was an extraordinary amount of Greek, Egyptian, and Roman Catholic art pieces being displayed. Which is why I struggled trying to look for art pieces that were related to what topics about our art history class. Once I came back for the second time, I finally found a way to find the appropriate art pieces to write about. The organization of the pieces being presented was nice but hard to locate. Even with using the map, I realized that if the musuem is too busy, that it will be very easy to get lost. Luckily, I asked a lot of people to help guide me so I could find what I am looking for. In the end, I finally got the background information of the art pieces I needed. By the way, finding the Nolan Library was extremely hard and I had to ask about three people.