Breuning family silhouette, 1782

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Silhouette of the entire Breuning family silhouette, 1782, from the original at the Beethoven-Haus, Bonn

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Exhibited: The Beethovens on the Rhine (2020). Exhibition text: Beethoven was around the same age as the Breuning children and was a frequent visitor in their household. The Breunings were wealthy and cultured, and Beethoven first encountered German literature and poetry in their household. According to his childhood friend Wegeler, Beethoven “received his first introduction to social life and behavior” from the Breunings. In this family silhouette Helene von Breuning reads a book while her daughter Eleonore pours her tea, and her sons Christoph, Lorenz, and Stephan are variously engaged in playing the violin, reading, and playing with a bird in a cage. The man in the picture is Helene’s brother-in-law Johann Lorenz von Breuning, an enlightened canon of the church who helped Helene raise her children after she was widowed at the age of 27.

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This work may not be in the public domain and may be protected by copyright laws of the country of the copyright holder. The digital images attached to this record may be used for teaching or research purposes under the provisions of the fair-use statute of the copyright law of the United States. For further information see the Beethoven Center's website at https://www.sjsu.edu/beethoven/collection/library-materials/index.php

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