🇦🇹 The Imperial Treasury

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The Imperial Treasury

The Imperial Treasury

If you want to gain a fascinating insight into royal life in Vienna, be sure to pay a visit to the former Winter Residence of the Habsburgs – the Hofburg. The palace complex on Vienna’s legendary Ringstraße evolved over the seven hundred years of Habsburg rule, and is now home to several different museums of international importance. Each of these shows a glimpse of the Austrian monarchy’s extravagant past. One of the highlights is the Imperial Treasury, which has been housed in the Hofburg’s oldest wing – the Schweizerhof – since the fifteenth century.

The story of the collection’s founding begins back in the fourteenth century, when the Habsburgs created specially-secured rooms for their particularly valuable items. Anything of material, religious, artistic or spiritual value was to be stored at the Imperial Treasury.

Amongst the Habsburgs, Kaiser Rudolf II (who reigned from 1576 to 1612) was without a doubt one of the most ambitious collectors. He created a dedicated wing at the Hofburg, where the “Kunsthaus” was established. Nowadays, the possessions accumulated there are considered the backbone of the collection, and include paintings and sculptures, valuable receptacles made from precious metals and decorated with precious stones, and ivory carvings. Maria Theresia later carried out a modification of the Imperial Treasury, having exquisite display cases made out of nut wood, so the treasures could be presented in grand fashion. These continue to be used to this day, providing an appropriately stylish backdrop to the imperial collector’s items.

In the years 1794 and 1800, the Napoleonic Wars saw a number of unique treasures arrive at the Imperial Treasury in the Hofburg, when the insignia of the Holy Roman Empire were brought to Vienna from Nuremberg and Aachen, and the treasures of the Order of the Golden Fleece from Brussels, in an effort to get them safely out of reach of the French troops. The Order of the Golden Fleece, an important order of chivalry, is closely associated with the Habsburg ruling house. It was founded in 1430, by Duke Philip the Good of Burgundy, before being taken over by the Habsburgs in 1477. The Order’s goals were the preservation of the Catholic faith, the protection of the church and the honouring of chivalry. Provided you were a Catholic man from the aristocracy, that is, since membership of the Order was strictly limited. The sign of the Order is a golden ram’s fleece suspended on a chain, a symbol with a mythological background. In the Greek saga, the heroic figure Jason steals the Golden Fleece, the fleece of the Chrysomallos, a golden-woolled ram with the power not only of speech but also of flight. The background to the saga are actually the gold washers in the ancient land of Colchis, an Egyptian colony in the present-day Caucasus region. When filtering out the fine gold dust in the rivers, they would use ram fleeces. The fleeces would become soaked through with the gold, and the Golden Fleece became a sign of authority and power as a result. So it’s no wonder the sign can also be seen on the Schweizer Tor, the entrance to the Schweizer Hof, just below the coat of arms, with the royal eagle. It’s well worth a look.

The valuable possessions of the Order safely stored at the Imperial Treasury include the Cross of Allegiance and vestments, the Neck Chain of the Herald of the Order, the gleaming collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece, and the last Duke of Burgundy’s sword.

Today, the Vienna Imperial Treasury is home to a vast array of treasures accumulated during the 600 years of Habsburg rule. The collection, which consists of an Imperial Treasury of secular and spiritual significance, is one of the most important institutions of its kind in the world. As well as the treasures of the Order of the Golden Fleece mentioned above and the Insignia of the Holy Roman Empire, including the imperial crown and holy lance, it is a safe home to countless valuable jewels. Equally impressive are the crown of Kaiser Rudolf II, later to become the Austrian imperial crown, as well as the sceptre, imperial orb and robe of the Austrian Kaiser.

Two other unusual items in the collection definitely deserve a mention here. The Agate Bowl, well-protected in the Imperial Treasury, is a stunning masterpiece dating back to the 4th century. At 76 centimetres in width including the handles, it is the world’s largest bowl ever to have been crafted from a single massive block of the hard stone. The Agate Bowl became a relic, however, because of a puzzling inscription that could be made out in earlier times. At one point, the name “Jesus” appeared, in Greek letters, in the natural veining of the stone. As a result, the Bowl was considered to be the “Holy Grail”.

Another interesting and idiosyncratic piece is the huge narwhal’s tusk, which was believed to be the horn of a unicorn, or Ainkhürn. Thanks to their unique nature, the Agate Bowl and Ainkhürn were once declared “inalienable heirlooms of the House of Austria”.

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