Caution, fragile!
Reverse glass paintings from four centuries
07.10.2022-05.03.2023 at Schaezlerpalais
In the 18th century, Augsburg was one of the most important production sites for reverse glass painting. The city's importance as a center for printmaking provided the painters of reverse glass with a rich treasure trove of models. The typical Augsburg reverse glass paintings consist of glazed oil colors in a delicate coloration with muted brown tones and predominantly reddish contrasts. The city vedute of Johann Wolfgang Baumgartner (1702-1761), which were created in an elaborate color etching technique, plays a special role. Other centers of reverse glass painting were located in Switzerland and at Staffelsee.
The Gisela and Prof. Wolfgang Steiner Collection
In 2021, the Kunstsammlungen und Museen Augsburg succeeded in acquiring 153 reverse glass paintings from the important collection of Gisela and Prof. Wolfgang Steiner. The Ernst von Siemens Kunststiftung, the Kulturstiftung der Länder and the Federal Minister of State for Culture and Media were the three main sponsors of the purchase. They were supported by the Free State of Bavaria, the City of Augsburg and a private sponsor.
Exhibition of over 150 reverse glass objects
The exhibition "Caution, Fragile" presents around 100 reverse glass paintings from this collection in the historic rooms of the Schaezlerpalais (2nd floor). A further 57 reverse glass paintings from the Steiner Collection can be viewed as part of the permanent presentation "The View Behind" on the first floor. The exhibition will open as part of the conference on reverse glass art on October 7-8, 2022.
Development from the 16th to the 19th century
The earliest works shown in the exhibition come from Tyrol and the Veneto of the 16th century. There, in the period around 1550, colorless flat glass was available for the first time as an image carrier for reverse glass paintings. While these earlier reverse glass paintings all show religious motifs, the 17th and 18th centuries saw the addition of profane subjects such as still lifes or genre scenes, which at the same time also enjoyed great popularity in other art genres.
In the 19th century, reverse glass painting became widespread, especially in folk art: small-format pictures reproduced the images of graces at famous pilgrimage sites and thus served as souvenirs of pilgrimages. Protection and help were promised in turn by the depictions of patron saints, which were mass-produced from the 18th to the 19th century.
