Art of the Bohemian Reformation (1380 – 1620)
Date of action: 12/16/2009 - 4/4/2010
Place of action: Imperial Stables
As a result of unusual historical circumstances, several Christian denominations were active in the Czech lands during the period fromHussitism to the defeat of the revolt of the Czech Estates at the Battle of White Mountain. Besides the Roman Catholics, the only church to enjoy a legal recognition was that of the Utraquists. The Unity of the Brethren, Lutherans and Calvinists were all active outside the law only due to the support from aristocratic patrons and the weak authority of the state. Members of non-Catholic denominations tried to legalise their position, but did not achieve full legal status until the Imperial Charter on Religious Freedom issued by Rudolf II in 1609.
The Bohemian Reformation gave rise to a rich collection of Reformation art and architecture monuments in the Czech lands. All denominations used works of art for representational purposes, and at the same time many eminent theologians expressed opinions on the problem of images in religious practice. The denominations differed in their approaches to religious images, but none of them totally rejected the creation of images and works of art. Although numerous Reformation works of art have been preserved, often including works of the highest quality preserved in what are now Catholic churches, the art created in the Czech lands for the non-Catholic denominations remains essentially unknown to the public.
This exhibition is a breakthrough in that respect. It aims to show the public the exceptional qualities and variety of Reformation art in the Czech lands. For the first time in Czech history, it presents the art of the whole Reformation period from its beginnings: the criticism of the use of images in religious practice at the end of the 14th century, followed by the blossoming of art in Utraquism and Lutheranism, and finally the iconoclasm of 1609 in St. Vitus' Cathedral and the works related to the fall of the Reformation in Bohemia. It presents over 120 significant – indeed, often unique – works of art: sculptures, painted altarpieces, brilliantly-illuminated manuscripts and works of church ornaments that are unknown to the public and in many cases inaccessible. Among the most significant exhibits are Klaudián's map of Bohemia, the Codex of Jena, the Litoměřice Gradual with its depictions of John Hus, a brilliantly-carved altar by the Master IP from the church of the Our Lady upon Tyne, artworks from Kutná Hora and those by Rudolphinian artist Bartolomeus Spranger. The objects selected for the exhibition are the highest-quality works representing all the Reformation churches active in the Czech lands during the period. The exhibition also touches upon the background to the creation of these works of art and the interests of their commissioners.
A key trend running through the Reformation art is a radical move away from the role of the religious image as it had been hitherto perceived. The image does not deserve the sort of veneration that it received in the Catholic church, but fulfils other functions: didactic, decorative, memorial and representational. Art thus loses its mediaeval magical and religious functions, and its new functions in the society gain a modern character.
The exhibition is Prague Castle's contribution to the 400th anniversary of the issuing of the Imperial Charter on Religious Freedom by Rudolf II.
The exhibition is held under the kind auspices of Mrs. Livia Klausová, wife of the President of the Czech Republic, Cardinal Miloslav Vlk, Archbishop of Prague and Primate of Bohemia, and ThDr. Pavel Černý, Th.D., chairman of the Ecumenical Council of Churches and of the Council of the Church of the Brethren.
Organizer: Prague Castle Administration
Curators: Kateřina Horníčková, Michal Šroněk
Visiting Information:
open daily 10am - 6pm
(excl. Thursday, December 24 - closed, Thursday, December 31- till 4pm)
Admission fee:
Full: 140 CZK
Reduced: 90 CZK
Family: 280 CZK
school groups 20 CZK/pers.
Gallery Talks and Guided Tours in Czech language only.
More info: e-mail: barbora.krumphanzlova@hrad.cz
