I loved the medieval exhibits of the Gothic the stained glass windows. Instead of being high up in the far away windows of a church, the museum Gothic’s stained glass windows were at eye level, close enough to touch if I so dared (but I didn’t). It was incredible to see the lead outlines and the construction of the glass. The colors were also so vibrant with the details of shading illuminated with a backlight. It is amazing the time, skill and effort the master guilds put into one section of a windowpane. It also astounds me when a fragile artifact such as glass survives throughout centuries intact. The stained glass is indeed some of my favorite pieces of art.
Another fascinating piece of Art in the Wien Museum is a 17th Century painting Christ Before Pilate. Pilate was the governor charged with keeping the peace when Jesus was on trial, accused by the Jewish priests and elders. He questioned Jesus and repeatedly found no fault with him but the Jewish community was on the brink of riot over the fate of Jesus. Pilate did not want to crucify Jesus and had even offered to release one prisoner—Jesus or Barabbas—which was the 
custom. It was a choice like do you want chocolate chips or glass in your cookies, the Jews, of course, chose glass. Pilate washed his hands of their choice and the Jews said, “His blood shall be on us and our children.” Barabbas was set free and Jesus crucified. (Matthew 27:11-26; Matthew 27:25 NASV Bible).This painting depicts the point when the Jews decided to murder the innocent Jesus Christ instead of a convicted felon and murderer. The hypocrites rejected their law of eye for an eye and demanded the blood of not just any innocent man, but the Son of God and the Virgin Mary. This is anti-Semitic enough without the inscription of the text in the lower left, “With this bloodthirsty trial and judgment, thus did the godless Jews behave and treat Jesus the Saviour of the world. How such was found in Vienna under the earth, hewn of stone.” This anti-Semitism depicted in the 17th Century painting resulted in the expulsion of Jews from Vienna in the same time span under Leopold I.
Besides the stained glass and Jewish relevant art, I also found the Turkish wars collection quite fascinating. The Relief Battle, a representation of the Polish forces joining Prince Eugene to save Vienna in 1683 against the Turks, shows the bloody battle with decapitated Viennese victims as the barbarous Turks ravage the innocents. Also in this collection is a map of the Turkish tents surrounding the city walls that was drawn from a spy’s memory and came in handy in the final battle. I loved seeing the amateur art and the details that were considered important to include on the map like the flags and the colors and crosses. The weaponry also is quite fierce.
There is plenty more to see in this museum including Schiele and Klimt and collections on the revolutions but the last collection I will go over is the Biedermeier collection of art. I mentioned the sole Biedermeier painting in the Belvedere we discussed with Dr. O, the Wien Stadt Museum presents its Biedermeier art with a hallway, statues and an entire apartment room. The scenes in the art, “celebrate the family, dramatize the consequences of lack of respectability, or evoke personal sorrow in a patriotic context.”[1]
Biedermeier brings the focus inward to the family in response to the heavy censorship of the Metternich regime. The patriotic genre came in response to Vienna’s humiliation when Vienna’s allies, the French, lost at Waterloo and the end of the Habsburgs, the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire. Upon the French Revolutions, Metternich’s rule came in to avoid any whisperings of revolt. Metternich was the “fireman,” putting out the fires of revolution.[2] This art shows happy peasants, happy families and happy Austrians—those who had more important things on their minds than revolution. The apartments are dark and closed, hoping to close out the watchful eye of Metternich and avoid accusation of revolutionary inclinations.
Finally this Museum’s most awesome addition was that of Richard the knight.
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