The Sapiega Palace in Antakalnis

Series ‘Old Vilnius’, 1927, fascicle III.

A distinctive feature of the etchings in fascicle III of ‘Old Vilnius’ is that Hoppen portrayed 18th-century inhabitants against a background of Baroque architecture: a group of chivalrous cavaliers and their ladies partying near the Sapiega Palace, beggars meeting a procession of noblemen coming out of the Church of St Peter and St Paul, street peddlers plying their wares on the steps of the Town Hall. This social setting transports the onlooker to a former golden age in the city’s history, while the contrasts in the lighting give a melodramatic character to the action.

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album VILNIUS. TOPOPHILIA II (2015). Compiler and author Laima Laučkaitė
Expositions: “Vilnius. Topophilia. Views of Vilnius from the collection of the law firm Ellex Valiunas”, 5 October – 26 November 2017, National Gallery of Art, Vilnius (curator Laima Laučkaitė) ‘Vilnius Forever. A Dialogue of Artworks and Guides to the City’, 25 May 2022 – 30 April 2023 Lithuanian Art Centre TARTLE (Užupio St. 40, Vilnius). Curator Laima Laučkaitė.

Series ‘Old Vilnius’, 1927, fascicle III.

A distinctive feature of the etchings in fascicle III of ‘Old Vilnius’ is that Hoppen portrayed 18th-century inhabitants against a background of Baroque architecture: a group of chivalrous cavaliers and their ladies partying near the Sapiega Palace, beggars meeting a procession of noblemen coming out of the Church of St Peter and St Paul, street peddlers plying their wares on the steps of the Town Hall. This social setting transports the onlooker to a former golden age in the city’s history, while the contrasts in the lighting give a melodramatic character to the action.

Source: Law firm Valiunas Ellex art album VILNIUS. TOPOPHILIA II (2015). Compiler and author Laima Laučkaitė
Expositions: “Vilnius. Topophilia. Views of Vilnius from the collection of the law firm Ellex Valiunas”, 5 October – 26 November 2017, National Gallery of Art, Vilnius (curator Laima Laučkaitė) ‘Vilnius Forever. A Dialogue of Artworks and Guides to the City’, 25 May 2022 – 30 April 2023 Lithuanian Art Centre TARTLE (Užupio St. 40, Vilnius). Curator Laima Laučkaitė.