The Leidner Donation

Since its founding in 1830, the Gemäldegalerie has been structured (and subsequently expanded) according to art-historical considerations. It offers a comprehensive overview of European painting from the 13th to the 18th century. One point of focus is the Italian collection, although North Italian artists of the 17th century have to date been under-represented.

Thanks to the generous donation by collector Günter Leidner, we have been able to fill a gap in this area. Three paintings – by Daniele Crespi (Lombardy), Cristoforo Savolini (Romagna) and Antonio Zanchi (Venice) – now complement the existing holdings of the Gemäldegalerie.

These paintings complement works by Genoese painter Giovanni Andrea De Ferrari, Lombardy painter Giovanni Battista Crespi (Il Cerano) and Pasqualino Rossi of Veneto, which until now have received little attention, creating a small overview of 17th-century Baroque painting. In addition, late Venetian painting is magnificently represented by a previously unknown depiction of Abraham casting out Hagar and Ishmael, previously held in a private collection, and the long-unexhibited The Musical Contest between Apollo and Marsyas by Johann Carl Loth, a Bavarian painter who resided in the floating city.

This presentation of pieces from the museum’s storage facilities and the works from the Leidner donation aims to shine a spotlight on North Italian Seicento painting within the Gemäldegalerie.

Curator

This exhibition was curated by Roberto Contini, curator of Italian, Spanish and French painting at the Gemäldegalerie.

A special exhibition presented by the Gemäldegalerie of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin