Hof Palace, Seen from the North

In 1726 the architect Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt began construction of the Baroque complex of Hof near Marchegg in eastern Lower Austria for Prince Eugene of Savoy. Empress Maria Theresa bought both Hof Palace and the Belvedere Palace in Vienna from the heiress to the prince and soon added a second storey to the palace in Lower Austria. Bellotto, however, painted Hof in its original form. The upper terrace of the garden complex dominates the middle and left half of the picture, while the March River and the “Ruin of Thebes” can be seen in the background.