Budapest – Museum of Fine Arts
Museum of Fine Arts - Budapest
The origins of the Museum of Fine Arts’ comprehensive collection in Budapest date from 1870, when the state bought a magnificent collection of paintings from the aristocratic Esterházy family. The museum’s collection was enriched by donations and acquisitions, and in 1906 it moved to its present location. The building, by Fülöp Herzog and Albert Schickedanz, is Neo-Classical with Italian-Renaissance influences. The tympanum crowning the portico is supported by eight Corinthian columns. It depicts the Battle of the Centaurs and Lapiths, an is copied from the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, Greece.
The museum’s collection encompasses international art dating from antiquity to the 20th century. As well as Egyptian, Greek and Roman artifacts, the museum houses galleries dedicated to a variety of modern art. Alongside its interesting collection of sculptures, there are priceless drawings and works of graphic art.
Egyptian Artefacts
Egyptian Artefacts have been exhibited in the museum since 1939. Principally, they are the result of 19th century excavations that involved Hungarian archaeologists. The rich collection includes stone sculptures from each historic period, from the Old Kingdom to the Ptolemy dynasty. A nobleman’s head of a votive statue dates from the New Kingdom and is a particularly beautiful example. Also worthy of note is the collection of small bronze figures, which also dates from the New Kingdom, together with domestic objects that illustrate everday life.
Classical Artefacts
The collection of Classical artefacts is rather varied. It encompasses works of Greek, Etruscan and Roman works. The collection of Greek vases ranks as one of the best of its kind in Europe. A black-figure amphora by Exekias and a kylix from the studio of the painter Andokides are very fine examples of this work. Bronze work, which dates from various epochs, including the famous Grimani jug from the 5th century BC, gold jewellery, and marble and terracotta sculptures are all exquisite artefacts from this era.
Sculpture
This collection is located throughout the museum. The most valuable element by far is a small bronze sculpture by Leonardo da Vinci (1452- 1519). This is an unusually dynamic representation of King Francois I of France on his horse. Other superb examples of Italian sculpture, by masters such as Andrea Pisano of the Ronni family, can also be seen.
German Art
Among the most valuable works in the collection are the Portrait of a Young Man, by Albert Durer and the carefully composed painting of The Dormition of Mary, by Hans Holbein. The work of such masters as Hans Baldung Grien and Lucas Cranach are worth seeing, as is the collection of German an Austrian Baroque painting, which includes work by Franz Anton Maulbertsch.
Dutch and Flemish Art
The museum’s utch and Flemish collection features works by the finest masters, including influential landscape artist Jacob van Ruisdael, with View of Amsterdam. The subtle Nativity by Gerard David and Pieter Bruegel’s Saint John the Baptist’s Sermon depicting Flemish peasants listening to the saint’s words, are examplary exhibits.
The museum also boasts canvases attributed to Rembrandt, including St Joseph’s Dream, portraits by Frans Hals and Jan Vermeer’s Portrait of a Lady. Not to be missed are the magnificent 17th-century Dutch paintings by artists including Adrian van Ostade, Jacob Ruisdael, Jan Steen and others. The highlight of the Flemmish collection is the 17th-century Mucius Scaevola before Porsenna by Peter Rubens and his assistent, Anthony van Dyck. The latter was responsible for the picture of St John the Evengelist, also on display.
Also important are the paintings of Adam and Eve and Satyr with Peasants by Jacob Jordaens, who also worked as an assistent to Rubens.
Italian Art
This valuable collection of Italian art, which was the core of the Esterházy family’s collection, is often considered the museum’s biggest attraction. All the schools of Italian painting, from the 13th to the 18th centuries, are on display here. The Renaissance period is perhaps the best represented.
Of particular note is the captivating Esterházy Madonna, an unfinished painting by Raphael. Another great work by this outstanding artist is the Portrait of Pietro Bembo. There is no shortage of works by famous 16th-century Venetian artists among the paintings collected here. Important works by Titian, Bonifazio Veronese, Antonio Correggio, Jacopo Tintoretto, Giorgione and Giovanni Boltraffio are all exhibited here. An excellent example of Baroque art is Giambattista Tiepolo’s vast late 18th-century painting, St James Conquers the Moors.
Spanish Art
The most important features of this collection are seven paintings by El Greco, including The Annunciation of Gethsemane and The Penance of St Mary Magdalena, a subtle though fully expresssive work. The dramatic Martyrdom of St Andrew by Jusepe de Ribera should not be missed, nor the work of artists such as Diego Veláquez, Bartolomé Murillo and Francisco de Goya’s observations of daily life produced paintings such as The Water Carrier, which also deserves special attention.
French and British Art
Works by French and British artists are not as numerous as Italian works, for example, but represent the various styles of the two countries. French works include the well-composed Resting on the Journey to Egypt by Nicolas Poussin and Villa in the Roman Countryside by Claude Lorraine.
The collection of British paitings includes portraits by artists of the calibre of Joshua Reynolds, William Hogarth and Thomas Gainsborough.