Mozart Portraits and the Art World

Mozart memorabilia (including portraiture, autographs and manuscripts) has been highly collectable for well over 200 years. The craze for such items may be in response to Mozart's ethereal life and astounding accomplishments. Perhaps Mozart's untimely demise (like that of Poe, Alexander the Great and Jack Kennedy) underscore the urgency and frailty of life. The fact remains that above all, Mozart portraits remain in the hands of an elite few institutions and private collections.

The International Stiftung Mozarteum In Mozart's birthplace of Salzburg currently houses the largest and most prestigious collection. Founded by the Dom-Musik-Verein in 1841, the ISM covered its small librarian requirements with the holdings of the already existing Mozart library. In May of 1945, the library was plundered and sadly, many books, miniatures and memorabilia disappeared. The search for these lost objects continue to this day.

Since authentic Mozart and even possibly authentic portraits are "priceless", you are unlikely to see them on a Sotheby's or Christies auction block, just as you would not see a major museum selling off its Bottchellis or Da Vincis.

It is possible that Mozart may have been painted a mere twenty times or so in his short lifetime, yet, over 100 contenders have emerged over the 220 years since his death. It is probable then, that a fraction of these are authentic, but without a clear provenance, one must rely on the best instincts of Mozart and the evidence at hand.