Vienna probes bizarre portraits after Golden Beaker renovation

Vienna is examining whether unusual wall paintings at the Golden Beaker House next to St Stephen’s Cathedral were legally altered during its renovation, ORF reports. A portrait of Rudolf of Habsburg has been replaced by Arnold of Carinthia as a small child, alongside unfamiliar depictions of Emperor Franz Joseph and a broadly grinning Duke Leopold.

The building underwent extensive renovation between 2019 and 2025. A journalist from the daily newspaper Die Presse first noticed the unusual paintings.

Rainald Löscher of Vienna’s building authority said a complaint had been filed alleging that certain decorative elements were not restored to their original appearance. In particular, the current portrait heads no longer correspond to the previous state.

The house was built in 1882 and destroyed during the Second World War. Its wall paintings were covered over during reconstruction and were not uncovered again until the 1970s. The privately owned building is not protected as a historic monument, but it lies in a designated conservation zone and within an area covered by UNESCO cultural heritage rules. Under those regulations, buildings and their decorative elements may not be altered.

The master painter who carried out the renovation declined to comment to ORF Vienna. According to the city, he intends to repay the grant provided for the paintings. The building’s owner could not be reached.

Restoration expert Martina Griesser-Stermscheg of Angewandte described the work as “madness”, saying it was neither conservation, restoration nor reconstruction, but an artistic reinterpretation that had nothing to do with restoration.

It remains unclear whether the portraits will be allowed to stay. Because the building itself is not protected as a historic monument, the legal position is not entirely clear, Griesser-Stermscheg said. Vienna’s magistrate’s office expects the paintings will probably have to be reversed, but no decision has been made.