The dome fresco in the State Hall of the Austrian National Library.
A unique artwork seen up close like never before.
Cover photo: © Österreichische Nationalbibliothek | Hloch
The famous dome fresco in detail.
The ceiling frescoes in the state hall date from Court painter Daniel Gran, who is interested in it 1726 to 1730 depicts. The fresco in the dome hall portrays the apotheosis, the 'deification,' of Emperor Charles VI.
In the centre is the glory of Charles VI with a pyramid and laurel wreath in his hand, below the golden medallion with the portrait of the emperor, held by Apollo and Hercules, and below and to the sides are numerous other symbols of the glory of the House of Habsburg.
Photo:© Österreichische Nationalbibliothek
Gigapixel capture: Closer to the dome fresco than ever before!
Thanks to the gigapixel capture, you can now admire this artwork up close for the first time: If you look closely and use the zoom function, you will also discover the remains of a crack in the dome that appeared in the mid-18th century.
Thanks to extensive restoration work at the time, the collapse of the library was prevented, and the restoration of the dome fresco was completed by the painter Franz Anton Maulbertsch in 1769.
