Anton Joseph von Prenner

Anton Joseph von Prenner (1683 – 1761) was an Austrian painter and engraver.

Von Prenner was born in Wallerstein. He is best known for the Theatrum Artis Pictoriae (full description: Theatrum artis pictoriae quo tabulae depictae quae in Caesarea Vindobonensi Pinacoteca servantur leviore caelatura aeri insculptae exhibentus ab Antonio Iosepho de Prenner, 4 vols., Vienna 1728-1733). The project was jointly developed by von Prenner and the Flemish court painter Frans van Stampart. Other collaborators were Andreas Altaumont, Frauas and Johann Adam Schmutzer. The project consisted of engravings of the imperial collection in the Stallburg gallery. The publication was likely inspired by the new display of the Imperial art collection in the Stallburg gallery. The plan was to publish 30 volumes of prints representing the entire Imperial art collection in Stallburg. Only four volumes were printed between 1728 and 1733. Each of the four volumes contains 40 full page copper engravings representing the paintings in the Stallburg gallery in a laterally inverted way. The first two plates of volume I offer plans of the galleries with views of six rooms. The rendering of the paintings is not always very detailed and sometimes parts of paintings are distorted in the prints. According to which criteria the selection of the paintings was made is not clear and the publication does not offer any art historical explanation. The epochal achievement of von Prenner and van Stampart was to include for the first time in a publication works from the old German school. Due to the difficult preparatory work and prolonged publication history of the Theatrum, von Prenner and van Stampart published the Prodromus (full title: Prodromus, seu Praeambulare lumen reserati portentosae magnificentiae theatri, quo omnia ad aulam caesaream in Augustissimae suae caesareae) in Vienna in 1735. It was intended to give a preview of the volumes of the Theatrum that had yet to appear ('prodromus' means a preliminary publication or introductory work). The Prodromus offers an overview of the works already published in the Theatrum and a preview of what the next volumes would offer. It reprises the plans of the galleries with views of six rooms of the Theatrum. These are followed by plates showing the walls of the galleries, completely covered by framed paintings. Each of the 24 plates reproduce 960 paintings by 230 painters with fast strokes. Four pages show 228 sculptures, reliefs, gems and medals in the collection. One of the important improvements in the Prodromus is that the paintings are rendered not in mirror view from plate 8. This publication enjoyed support in high places as is shown by the fact that prominent aristocrats engraved some of the plates: Count Leopold Windischgraetz (plate 9), the counts Anton and Johann Nepomuk Csáky (plates 11 and 13) and Maria Barbara Lemperg (plate 12).

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  Painting copied by Prenner

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  Engraving from the Theatrum Artis Pictoriae

He also painted in the 1720s frescoes for Walther Franz Xaver Anton, Prince of Dietrichstein in his renovated castle (later burned in World War II). His son Georg Caspar von Prenner also became a painter.

Von Prenner died in Vienna.