Magic and Mystery in the Vienna Museum of Art History

People have always been curious about secret knowledge and magical transformations. “Truthful” stories devoted to these topics turn into myths (or TV shows), while “magical” artefacts can still be easily found on display in museums.

This art tour will introduce all the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts to you and help you broaden your knowledge of art, alchemy, and mythmaking.

First, we will discover the ancient mysteries of the Egyptian collection, where you will learn how to pass all the obstacles on the way to the netherworld and avoid the fangs of Ammit.

In the halls devoted to Classical antiquity, we will recall the myths we all learnt as children about the Sphinx and the Minotaur, and try to figure out how these anthropomorphic creatures appeared in our culture. Moreover, you will understand what the public sentiment towards them can tell us about the stage of the development of a society.

In the Cabinet of curiosities, we will find the artefacts that a couple of centuries ago were believed to be magical. Another noteworthy exhibit of this hall is the document prohibiting “unfavourable” mystery cults in the Roman Republic.

In the picture gallery, we will marvel at canvases by Anthony van Dyck, Peter Brueghel the Elder, Giorgione, and Raphael, to understand the techniques employed to give witches their volatility and to show the magic and mysteriousness of places according to Europeans during the Age of the Enlightenment.