The exhibition shows masterpieces from the Haukohl Family Collection, probably the most important ensemble of Florentine Baroque art outside of Italy. Before the European tour initiated by the MNHA in 2018, the collection, assembled over more than 35 years, has never been shown in Europe. The works clearly demonstrate that the Florentine artists of the 17th and early 18th centuries influenced European art history to a far greater extent than art historical research and the general public have previously perceived.
Allegories, religious motifs, genre scenes and portraits by Jacopo da Empoli, Felice Ficherelli, Francesco Furini and Onorio Marinari form the core of the collection. The presentation includes a striking ensemble of paintings by three generations of the Dandini family, a painter dynasty that made a name for itself primarily with female portraits. Several works from the MNHA collection will also be shown for the first time, such as Pier Dandini's Banquet of Cleopatra and Mark Antony or Ottavio Vannini's portraits of the evangelists Luke and John. The exhibition devotes a separate section to "Artists, Writers and Scholars", which sheds light on the intellectual history of Florence under the reign of the Medici Grand Dukes. Four polychrome stucco reliefs by Antonio Monauti illustrate baroque portraits of the Renaissance greats Michelangelo Buonarroti, Niccolò Machiavelli, Marsilio Ficino and the polymath Galileo Galilei.
As a whole, the exhibition shows the deep interest of the Florentine Baroque for science and for painting based on “disegno” (drawing or preliminary study). Most art works feature magnificent - partly even historical - frames, enhancing the unadulterated flair of the baroque. The rich tradition of the Haukohl family in collecting art follows the example of the Medici and will undoubtedly offer many surprises to visitors.
The 288-page hardcover catalog, published by the MNHA, offers introductory essays by leading experts and separate entries for each exhibited work of art, providing information on the latest research. It is already available in the museum's online shop for just 28 euros - in German, English or Italian: http://www.mnha-shop.lu/
The european tour of the Haukohl Family Collection is organised by the MNHA with the generous support of:
IQEQ | CARGOLUX | The Leir Charitable Foundations
Virtual 3D tour with videoguiding
ANTONIO MONTAUTI (1683-1746)
Portrait of Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527), Florentine historian and politician, polychrome stucco, relief, The Haukohl Family Collection
ONORIO MARINARI (1617-1716)
Saint Sebastian, oil on canvas, The Haukohl Family Collection
ONORIO MARINARI (1617-1716)
Apollo with a lyre, oil on canvas, The Haukohl Family Collection
ONORIO MARINARI (1617-1716)
Judith beheading Holofernes, oil on canvas, The Haukohl Family Collection
ALESSANDRO GHERARDINI (1655-1726)
The Annunciation to the Immaculate Virgin, oil on canvas, The Haukohl Family Collection
FRANCESCO FURINI (1603-1646)
Allegory of poetry, oil on canvas, The Haukohl Family Collection
FELICE FICHERELLI (1605-1660)
Saint Sebastian tended by Saint Irene, oil on canvas, The Haukohl Family Collection
GIOVAN DOMENICO FERRETTI (1692-1768)
Harlequin and his companion, oil on canvas, The Haukohl Family Collection
JACOPO DA EMPOLI (1551-1640)
The Immaculate Virgin appearing to Saint Hyacinth, oil on copper, The Haukohl Family Collection
VINCENZO DANDINI (1609-1675)
Juno, oil on canvas, The Haukohl Family Collection
PIETRO DANDINI (1646-1712)
Esther before Ahasuerus, oil on canvas, The Haukohl Family Collection
TOMMASO REDI (1665-1726)
Saint Philip Neri and the miracle on the voyage to Naples, oil on canvas, The Haukohl Family Collection
CESARE DANDINI (1596-1657)
Allegory of musical fame, oil on canvas, The Haukohl Family Collection
JACOPO GIORGI (1623–1665)
Penitent Magdalene, oil on paper, layed down on canvas, The Haukohl Family Collection
JACOPO DA EMPOLI (1551-1640)
Portrait of a gentleman, oil on copper, The Haukohl Family Collection
