Nymphenburg Palace, Munich
Bernardo Bellotto·c. 1761
Historical Context
Bernardo Bellotto and his workshop painted this view of Nymphenburg Palace, Munich, around 1761, during Bellotto's period of service to the Bavarian court. Bellotto, the nephew and pupil of Canaletto, was one of the finest veduta painters of the eighteenth century, producing panoramic views of European courts from Dresden to Warsaw. This view of the Wittelsbach summer palace documents the building in its Rococo splendor before later alterations.
Technical Analysis
Bellotto's oil on canvas demonstrates his characteristic sharp, precise technique with cooler, more metallic coloring than his uncle Canaletto's warm Venetian palette. The meticulous architectural rendering and the wide-angle panoramic format create a comprehensive documentary view of the palace and its gardens.
Provenance
Art market, 1936.[1] Dr. Gustav Mez, Switzerland; (Rosenberg and Stiebel, New York);[2] purchased October 1951 by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, New York;[3] gift 1961 to NGA. [1] Hellmuth Allwill Fritzsche, _Bernardo Bellotto, genannt Canaletto_, Burg-bei-Magdeburg, 1936: 116, no. V.120. More probably the early provenance is the same as the companion painting (see NGA 1961.9.64), as was stated in Saemy Rosenberg's letter of 27 September 1951 to the Kress Foundation (copy in NGA curatorial files). [2] When Rosenberg and Stiebel sold the painting to the Kress Foundation, the provenance was given as "a Swiss private collection" (see the 1951 Rosenberg letter mentioned in note 1). Stefan Kozakiewicz, _Bernardo Bellotto_, translated by Mary Whittall, 2 vols., Greenwich, Connecticut, 1972: 2:234, no. 295, identified the collector as Dr. Gustav Mez, who was a German industrialist resident in Switzerland. [3] The bill of sale is dated and marked paid on 23 October 1951 (copy in NGA curatorial files, see also The Kress Collection Digital Archive, https://kress.nga.gov/Detail/objects/1548).
