He acquired paintings by German, Dutch, Italian, French and Spanish masters from famous collections in Vienna, Rome or Brussels.

The Speck von Sternburg collection, which was significantly expanded by his son Alexander Maximilian, remained there over a century until 1945, when Leipzig became part of East Germany.

[1] This foundation, with its 202 paintings, 127 drawings and over 400 graphic artworks, includes works by Lucas Cranach the Elder, Peter Paul Rubens, Frans Hals and Caspar David Friedrich.

In addition to the art collection, half of the approximately 1,000 titles of the historical family library are also part of the foundation.

Speck von Sternburg had originally set up a public art gallery in his home at Schloss Lützschena that became a popular visitor attraction in the 1840s.