The collection of paintings created by Joseph Sonnleithner (1766-1835) is at the heart of the archive. It originally consisted of 55 paintings, was purchased in 1830 for the then-new Musikverein building on Tuchlauben and underwent continuous expansion until around 1900. Today, it contains 73 oil paintings. Among them are the most famous portraits of Johann Joseph Fux, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Antonio Salieri, Johann Georg Albrechtsberger and many others. Of particular interest is the painting of Franz Schubert without glasses as well as the most renowned portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is by the painter Barbara Krafft, which is considered as the most authentic depiction of the composer.
What is remarkable about this collection is that not only are the most famous composers immortalised, but there are also a number of portraits of composers who are largely forgotten today, such as Abbé Maximilian Stadler, Joseph Eybler and Adalbert Gyrowetz. This is often the only surviving painting of the depicted personality.
A large number of painters can be traced in the collection. Among the best-known artists are Joseph Kupelwieser and Willibrord Joseph Mähler.
