DOI issue:
Nr. 2
DOI article:Artykuły
DOI article:Kemperl, Metoda: Villa de Seppi at Hrastnik and the Painters Eduard Lebiedzki and Constanze von Breuning: Unknown Paintings
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.71008#0349
Villa de Seppi at Hrastnik and the painters Eduard Lebiedzki and Constanze Von Breuning 343
12. Constanze von Breuning, Supraporta with the Allegory of activities and crafts of Gosslets 's
family, 1894, Villa de Seppi, Hrastnik. Foto M. Kemperl
woman there is an organ, and in front of it a lute and a musical notebook. It can be decided
that the woman depiction is an allegory of arts. Emma De Seppi must have been musically
educated, since she was supposedly a ballet dancer.104 It remains unknown whether she
actively engaged in writing or painting; however, she certainly had enough time and mo-
ney to do so. In any event, her niece Constanze von Breuning was undoubtedly a painter
and the author of the paintings in question. The letters BEETH are written on the musical
notebook, which suggests that it contains Ludwig von Beethoven's works. Of course, this
is no coincidence: by including such a detail, Emma de Seppi wanted to point to the fact
that her brother-in-law Gerhard von Breuning was the son of Stephan von Breuning,
a close friend of Beethoven.105
The painting above the other south door depicts a woman holding a lace. On the left
side of the painting there are various glass dishes and glassware and a putto holding a red
flag with a silver head of a ranseur on it - i.e. the flag of Trieste. On the right there is
a wheel, a metal turbine, metal scales, and some unidentifiable objects. Thus, the painting
depicts an allegory of activities and crafts in which Emma's family was engaged: her
father was a shareholder of the Hrastnik mine and the owner of the chemical plant which
at that time was already managed by Emma's brothers Franz and Georg, while her brother-
in-law Burger was the owner of the glass factory at Hrastnik. The flag indicates that her
family originated from Trieste.
In the west wall of the hall there are two doors leading into the hallway behind the
grand hall. The painting above the first depicts a seated woman with pearls in her left
hand. She is leaning with her left hand on a large tied bundle of paper. Next to her is an
anchor, and behind it a barrel. To the left of the woman there is a crate of tempting
oranges and lemons, and behind the crate two wicker bottles (perhaps containing wine
or oil). The putto standing behind the woman is holding a pouch (probably containing
money) in his left hand, and a caduceus - the symbol of Hermes or Mercury, the patron
god of trade, in his right. Thus, the woman is obviously a n allegory of port trade or of
the city of Trieste.
104 HOFBAUER, Hrastniski grad, p. 4.
105 BREUNING, "From the", p. 73.
12. Constanze von Breuning, Supraporta with the Allegory of activities and crafts of Gosslets 's
family, 1894, Villa de Seppi, Hrastnik. Foto M. Kemperl
woman there is an organ, and in front of it a lute and a musical notebook. It can be decided
that the woman depiction is an allegory of arts. Emma De Seppi must have been musically
educated, since she was supposedly a ballet dancer.104 It remains unknown whether she
actively engaged in writing or painting; however, she certainly had enough time and mo-
ney to do so. In any event, her niece Constanze von Breuning was undoubtedly a painter
and the author of the paintings in question. The letters BEETH are written on the musical
notebook, which suggests that it contains Ludwig von Beethoven's works. Of course, this
is no coincidence: by including such a detail, Emma de Seppi wanted to point to the fact
that her brother-in-law Gerhard von Breuning was the son of Stephan von Breuning,
a close friend of Beethoven.105
The painting above the other south door depicts a woman holding a lace. On the left
side of the painting there are various glass dishes and glassware and a putto holding a red
flag with a silver head of a ranseur on it - i.e. the flag of Trieste. On the right there is
a wheel, a metal turbine, metal scales, and some unidentifiable objects. Thus, the painting
depicts an allegory of activities and crafts in which Emma's family was engaged: her
father was a shareholder of the Hrastnik mine and the owner of the chemical plant which
at that time was already managed by Emma's brothers Franz and Georg, while her brother-
in-law Burger was the owner of the glass factory at Hrastnik. The flag indicates that her
family originated from Trieste.
In the west wall of the hall there are two doors leading into the hallway behind the
grand hall. The painting above the first depicts a seated woman with pearls in her left
hand. She is leaning with her left hand on a large tied bundle of paper. Next to her is an
anchor, and behind it a barrel. To the left of the woman there is a crate of tempting
oranges and lemons, and behind the crate two wicker bottles (perhaps containing wine
or oil). The putto standing behind the woman is holding a pouch (probably containing
money) in his left hand, and a caduceus - the symbol of Hermes or Mercury, the patron
god of trade, in his right. Thus, the woman is obviously a n allegory of port trade or of
the city of Trieste.
104 HOFBAUER, Hrastniski grad, p. 4.
105 BREUNING, "From the", p. 73.