For successive generations the Princes of Liechtenstein have been devoted collectors of art. The result of this tradition is a collection of masterpieces that in its depth and breadth mirrors more than four hundred years of European history and ranks among the worlds greatest private collections. The paintings, sculpture, firearms, porcelain, and other works of art exhibited at The Metropolitan Museum of Art and richly illustrated and discussed in this book were acquired or commissioned by the Princes of the House of Liechtenstein to decorate their magnificent palaces, to display their status and wealth, to make know their distinction as great collectors, and to satisfy their princely sense of noblesse oblige.
Of the many memorable masterpieces that make up the Princely Collections perhaps the most notable is the great cycle of eight canvases by Peter Paul Rubens—the history of Decius Mus, the Roman consul—the only complete ensemble of this type now in private hands. Other works by Rubens in the collection include the beguiling portrait of the artists daughter Clara Serena and the Assumption of the Virgin, a monumental work of Rubenss maturity.
