Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister (Kassel)

The Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Kassel is an associated museum for Hessen Kassel collection and is in the Castle Wilhelm height, which is involved in the mountain park, which extends below the Hercules monument.

Collection

The collections focus on the Flemish and Dutch painting of the 17th century, which can be attributed mainly to the collecting passion of Landgrave William VIII of Hesse- Kassel ( 1751-1760 ).

The main representatives of the Dutch and Flemish Baroque such as Rembrandt, Frans Hals, Rubens, Anthony van Dyck and Floris and Jacob Jordaens are dedicated to their own rooms. The Rembrandt Room presents masterpieces of the Dutch painter, such as Jacob blessing and Saskia and, as regards the number and quality of Rembrandt paintings in Germany unsurpassed. By Peter Paul Rubens among others, the major works triumph of the victor, the portrait of Nicolas de Respaigne, and Pan and Syrinx are seen. In Frans Hals hall known pictures such as The Man will be issued with the slouch hat and The Funny Zecher.

Furthermore paintings of the Italian, Spanish and French paintings will be presented, including major works by Titian, Murillo and Vouet. A rather small part of the collection is the Old German and Old Dutch painting, which can but impress with their quality, including Dürer's Portrait of Elsbeth Tucher of, as well as works by Jan Gossaert and Maarten van Heemskerck.

History of the Collection

The first painting, which may be associated with the Landgrave collection, Anne gave v. Mecklenburg commemorating Landgraf Wilhelm II (1485-1509) in order, this led by none other than Lucas Cranach the Elder from. 1653, the Cabinet is first mentioned in 1696 and already was the collection of input into the Ottoneum, which originally functioned as a theater. The collection character was more of a treasure of curiosities, because in addition to paintings scientific objects and curiosities were collected. Under Landgraf Carl (1654-1730) reached several important works by Rembrandt, Rubens and works of Caravaggio to Kassel. The most lasting, the collection was dominated by Landgrave Wilhelm VIII, whose passion for collecting was particularly in the field of Dutch and Flemish painting. In the middle of the 18th century his collecting activities reached a climax, where he benefited from his Dutch contacts and consultants great expertise. He succeeded William VIII, major works by Rubens ( Triumph of the winner ), Rembrandt (Jacob blessing), Frans Hals and Jordaens ( beans hard ) to acquire; also presented the purchase of the Cabinet of Valerius Röver a high-quality growth represents the growing collection gave rise to a purpose-built gallery building, which was in 1751 completed ( destroyed in 1943 ), but only a part of a major project represented, the other buildings should include. William's successor Landgrave Frederick II (1760-1785) opened the collection - in the spirit of the Enlightenment - a selected audience.

As darkest chapter can be the time of Napoleon, his brother Jérôme Bonaparte resided in Kassel, designate. 1806 attempts were 48 high-caliber paintings, including Lorrain time of day cycle to bring to the Napoleonic troops in safety, yet they came into the possession of the Empress Joséphine, which endowed her with these Malmaison near Paris. After her death, a majority of these images came into the possession of the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg. Many other paintings were selected by Vivant Denon for the Musée Napoléon, however, could be traced in the years 1814-1817 by Jacob Grimm and his delegation to Kassel. Under Prussian rule in 1877, the collection moved to the designed by Heinrich von Dehn - Rotfelser gallery building on the beautiful views, which today is home to the Neue Galerie.

The threats of World War II escaped the works by early removal. A top choice was given to Vienna in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, and could be returned from there in 1956 unharmed to Kassel. Today some new acquisitions and permanent loans supplement the comprehensive collection that will be presented at the Wilhelmshöhe castle since 1974.