5. Netherlandish Art as a Driving Force: the collection of Felix Sekerka von Sedcic, Count of Wrschowetz (1654–1720)
Claudia Hofstee
This article examines the patronage of the Bohemian collector Felix Sekerka von Sedcic, Count of Wrschowetz (1654–1720), his art collection and the way paintings were displayed in his gallery.1 The Count commissioned local contemporary artists to create counterparts or pendant paintings to pair with early 17th-century Netherlandish paintings that he already owned, especially still lifes. In this way, he was able to display his picture gallery symmetrically, as became increasingly fashionable throughout Europe from the late 17th century onwards. In this paper, I will argue that Wrschowetz was an early example of a collector who consistently pursued the principles of symmetrical arrangement in his gallery and that his commissions were a necessary means to that end.2
Cover image
Johann Rudolf Bys
Cartouche with floral garland and vedute of a port
Basel (Switzerland), Kunstmuseum Basel, inv./cat.nr. 1178
Notes
1 In Czech the name is spelled as: Felix Sekerka ze Sedčic, Count of Vršovec. In this article the Germanised equivalent of Vršovec (Wrschowetz) is used. Both the local and Germanised names of Bohemian/Austrian collectors are equally used and known among scholars. In 1666 the rank of count was given to the Wrschowetz family, in recognition of the military service in the war against the Ottomans by a descendant Jaroslav Sekerka. The counts were granted to style themselves as Graf von Wrschowetz. Bubryák 2018, p. 81–82. For more on alternative spelling and history of the Wrschowetz family name: ‘Veršoveci-Sekerki un Zedšici’. Vesture.eu. 3 May 2018 (accessed 28 June 2021).
2 This paper is the result of my research during a Masters internship with Rieke van Leeuwen on behalf of the Gerson Project at the RKD in 2018. I thank her for comments on earlier versions of this article.