Rezensionen
Generalanzeiger Bonn, 29. April 2015
Rezension von Antony Griffiths
- Leiter des Kupferstichkabinetts des British Museum London
Print Quartely, XXV, 2008, 3:
Adam Bartsch.
One anniversary of 2007 that was not widely noted was the 250th birthday of Bartsch,
the patron of all print catalogues. An enterprising attempt to rectify the omission
is a small catalogue, Adam von Bartsch (1757-1821): Hommage zum 250. Geburtstag des
Wiener Graphikers und Kunsthistorikers, by Rudolf Rieger (Bonn, Verlag Franz Schön,
2007, 44pp.,15 b.&w.ills.,€ 8). It accompanied a small exhibition of prints drawn
from Rieger´s own collection, which Franz Schön in Bonn has displayed (10 November
– 6 December 2007) and published. Rieger evidently feels that the exhibition should
have been mounted by the Albertina, which now houses the Hofbibliothek collection
on which Bartsch spent his working life.
In it are held six albums that Bartsch assembled and donated himself, of his entire
oeuvre. Among Bartsch´s numerous accomplishments was that of being a highly skilled
etcher, and on p. 33 is reproduced the elegant plate that he made as the frontispiece
to the Hofbibliothek albums, which contain the collection originally assembled by
the Mariette firm for Eugene of Savoy. His output was recorded with filial piety by
his son and successor Friedrich in 1818. That Catalogue contains 505 numbers, and
we are informed in this booklet that Rieger is now working on a new catalogue,
which has so far reached a total of 690 plates. Print curators of Bartsch´s days
were clearly not only far more talented than their modern successors. They must
have had more time too.