PRIVATE COLLECTION OF THE PRINCES OF LIECHTENSTEIN TO BE SOLD AT CHRISTIE'S AMSTERDAM APRIL 2008 450 lots of furniture, paintings, clocks, sculpture, tapestry and works of art from the only surviving
Principality of the Holy Roman Empire – At Christie’s Amsterdam on 1 April 2008
Amsterdam – Christie’s announces that property from the private collection of the Princes of
Liechtenstein will be sold in Amsterdam on Tuesday 1 April 2008. Over five centuries of
European art history are represented in the 450 lot strong sale of furniture, paintings, clocks,
sculpture and tapestry, with estimates ranging from €300 to €300.000. This important and
historic sale of selected art objects allows one of Europe’s oldest families to further invest in the
many works of art which will remain in their private collection.
“My family has been collecting art for over 400 years and was able to establish one of the most important private
collections in the world. Over the centuries we accumulated thousands of objects, many on display at the
LIECHTENSTEIN MUSEUM in Vienna, others being used to decorate our family homes. We have been
unable to place many other works, which is why we have decided to part with 450 objects. My sincere hope is that
Christie’s will find new homes for these objects and that their owner will enjoy them as much as my family did,”
said H.S.H. Prince Hans-Adam II, Reigning Prince of Liechtenstein.
“Christie’s is honored to have been instructed to sell parts of the private collection of the Princely House of
Liechtenstein. Christie’s have long enjoyed the trust of Europe’s premier families, having in the past offered
properties from Queen Victoria, and more recently from H.R.H. The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon in
June 2006 and in January 2007, from King Georges I of the Hellenes,” said Jop Ubbens, Chairman of
Christie’s Amsterdam.
Contact: Maarten van Gijn / Stephanie Manstein
mvangijn@christies.com / +31 20 57 55 262
smanstein@christies.com / +44 20 7389 2962
450 lots of furniture, paintings, clocks, sculpture, tapestry and works of art from the only surviving
Principality of the Holy Roman Empire – At Christie’s Amsterdam on 1 April 2008
Interior of the LIECHTENSTEIN MUSEUM
in Vienna, origin of several interior lots
Exterior shot of the Princely Castle in Vaduz Preview of the Liechtenstein sale viewing
at Westergasfabriek in Amsterdam
PROPERTY FROM THE COLLECTION OF
THE PRINCELY HOUSE OF LIECHTENSTEIN
The Princely Collections
Due to their prominence in the Habsburg empire, the Liechtensteins brought a vibrant cultural
exchange to their Princedom, in which the arts soon flourished. This unique environment is
reflected in their collection, which combines a rich diversity in taste with a consistent high quality.
Already in the 16th century, Prince Karl (1569-1627) took the initiative to install a public gallery
space for painting exhibitions at Feldsberg castle. Prince Karl was also the patron of renowned
sculptors such as Adriaen de Vries, whose life-size Triton is considered one of the highlights of
the Amsterdam Rijksmuseum.
His son, Prince Johann Adam Andreas I (1657-1712) commissioned numerous palaces during his
reign, which he decorated mainly with Baroque sculpture and paintings such as Rubens’
monumental eight-picture Decius Mus-Cycle; acquired in 1693 and currently on view in the
LIECHTENSTEIN MUSEUM in Vienna. In the 18th and 19th century, the Princes Johann
