The French Revolution and its consequences for Count Joseph

by Nikolas Maisch

A vision of art and education

As was customary in the 17th century when building private art collections, the Truchsessen paintings were also status symbols and represented the collector's wealth. At the same time, however, Count Joseph's collection also represents an important change in the way art was treated and exhibited. When the paintings arrived at Wurzach Castle, they were displayed in eight rooms. A historical plan shows that the paintings were not simply hung at random – e.g. according to format – but were arranged for the first time according to era and style. This new type of presentation can be traced back to the director of the Vienna Academy, Joseph von Rosa (1726–1805), and the art dealer Christian von Mechel (1737–1817). Both set art-historical standards for the conception of exhibitions in the 18th century. The hanging in Wurzach thus proves that the count was well versed in the developments in the art and museum world at the time and was actively engaged in scientific questions. The plans for the collection mention well-known artists such as the Italian Tintoretto (1518–1594), the Flemish Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640), and the German Hans Multscher (c. 1400–1467) – an indication of how diverse the collection was.

Revolution and reorientation

The political upheavals of the French Revolution forced Count Joseph to give up his residence in Strasbourg. The situation also became critical in the rest of the Rhineland when the city of Cologne was occupied by French revolutionary troops in 1794. Count Joseph was therefore constantly on the move in the following months – without a permanent residence, he traveled through the Netherlands and various parts of Germany. In 1796, he finally made the decision to bring his valuable collection of paintings, which at that time was still housed in Wurzach Castle, to safety.

Almost 930 of the approximately 1,400 paintings were thus brought to Austria. In Vienna, the count exhibited the works at great financial expense in rented library rooms in order to present them to the interested public. However, the actual purpose of the exhibition was to offer the collection to Emperor Franz II (1768–1835) for purchase. Fifteen years earlier, his uncle Joseph II (1741–1790) had had Christian von Mechel reorganize the imperial painting collection in the Upper Belvedere. Count Joseph now hoped that his paintings would be a meaningful addition to this important collection.

London art market as a sales market for the Truchsessen Gallery

However, in view of the war, Emperor Francis II rejected the acquisition of the collection on cost grounds. The count, who was now in a precarious financial situation, urgently needed to find new sales opportunities – and his attention finally turned to the British art market. During the 18th century, England, with its metropolis London, had developed into the European center of international trade and now seemed to the collector to be the perfect location for his project. The new prosperity had also created a new customer group for the English art market, as a wealthy and art-loving bourgeoisie had developed alongside the aristocracy. In prosperous England, a whole network of cultural institutions, art dealers, and auction houses emerged, which together constituted a flourishing art market.

Continue reading here: Excursus: The birth of modern museum education

Citation: Nikolas Maisch, The French Revolution and its consequences for Count Joseph, in: art&market. The Truchsessen Gallery in London and the English art market around 1800, URL: [...], as of June 2, 2025.