Ministero dei Beni delle Attivitą Culturali e del Turismo Direzione Generale Biblioteche e Istituti Culturali

Karl Firmian

Karl Firmian(Mezzocorona, 1716 – Milano, 1782)

The count Firmian, the austrian politician and plenipotentiary minister and general governor of the Austrian Lombardy, was a talented developer and art collector.

Grandson of the Catholic archbishop Leopold Anton, Firmian received his education at Erthal, Innsbruck, Salzburg, the University of Leiden, and later abroad with trips to France and Italy. Returned in Germany for will of Francis I, he was sent ambassador in Naples by Maria Theresa in 1753 and destined from 1756 to the plenipotentiary ministry in Lombardy, where he was a fervent supporter and promoter of sciences and arts, helping to raise awareness around Johann Joachim Winckelmann and Angelika Kauffman.

He died July 20, 1782 in Milan, and was buried in the church of San Bartolomeo.

At his death he left a notable library of over 40,000 volumes and a valuable art collection.

History of Firmian Stock