Most of the items were created in the 17th and 18th centuries and half of them are by artists from outside the German-speaking countries. Furthermore, the collection includes rare proofs, print variants, and re-used printing plates.

The extensive collection was developed by Baron Hans-Dietrich von Diepenbroick-Grueter (1902–1980), an antique dealer active in Hamburg until 1945 and at Haus Marck Castle, near Tecklenburg, after the Second World War. Bequeathed to the LWL Museum, the collection has been scientifically inventoried since 1980 and presented in several exhibitions.

Thanks to the support of the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG), 15,000 items from the Diepenbroick Portrait Archive were digitised in recent years within the framework of a special research project (Digitaler Portraitindex – Druckgraphische Bildnisse der Frühen Neuzeit im Bildarchiv Foto Marburg) that involved a total of 200,000 works. This has enabled, for the first time, the permanent presentation of significant parts of the collection to scholars and the general public.

Dr. Gerd Dethlefs
Sabine Bär