Tactile Exhibition

HAPTIC TRAIL – CLOISTER

REMOVABLE ENLARGED DESCRIPTIONS IN BLACK PRINT FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED

Introduction to the Tactile Exhibition The National Gallery Prague owns a large collection of casts of medieval works. From these, more than a dozen works have been selected that vividly illustrate the stylistic transformation of sculptural form from the Romanesque period to the Late Gothic. The selection clearly shows how sculptors' approach to depicting religious imagery and everyday reality changed over the centuries. The exhibited collection features stone sculpture and wood carving in copies. The originals of some of these have remained in the places for which they were created for centuries. This is the case, for example, with the portrait busts from Prague's St. Vitus Cathedral or the beautiful Plzeň Madonna. Others can be seen today in gallery exhibitions.

Introduction to Gothic Sculpture Gothic style has its roots in France and came to Bohemia indirectly, especially via the Rhineland, in the mid-13th century. Medieval sculpture in its early period was closely intertwined with architecture. Statues were placed both outside and inside. They often adorned portals and narthexes; indoors they were on consoles, columns, and pillars, complementing altar decorations. Later, statues were increasingly used outside of architecture, which led to a change in their format and the variety of materials used. In addition to stone sculptures, usually made of marl or sandstone, many wood carvings have been preserved. In the Czech lands, linden wood was most commonly used, less frequently fruit trees and conifers. Wood carvings, and even some stone sculptures, were usually given a colored finish – polychromy.

Votive Relief from St. George's Basilica

Bohemia, before 1228 Cast: patinated plaster Original: golden marl, remnants of original polychromy, central part H. 88 cm, W. 57 cm, wings H. 66 cm, W. 27 cm

The relief consists of three parts, likely secondarily joined into a single whole. The surface of the central panel is filled by the most important figure of the enthroned Virgin Mary. She holds the Infant Jesus on her lap, depicted in profile with his right hand raised in blessing. In both upper corners, angels with censers float on clouds. They place a crown on Mary's head, which, like the angels', is surrounded by a halo. The engraved Latin inscription on the frame identifies the small figures kneeling at Mary's feet beneath the throne steps. To the left, Princess Mlada, sister of Prince Boleslav II, is depicted with clasped hands. She was the abbess of the first women's Benedictine monastery of St. George at Prague Castle, founded by her brother in 973. On the opposite side, the praying Abbess Berta is depicted. On the right wing kneels, as indicated by the preserved inscription on the edge of the frame, King Přemysl Otakar I, and on the opposite, a praying nun, likely Abbess Agnes, the king's half-sister.

Madonna of Prostějov

Master of the Michle Madonna - workshop Prague (?), circa 1340 Cast: patinated plaster, head of Madonna H. 32 cm Original: linden wood, remnants of original polychromy, H. 113.5 cm

The statue is attributed to the workshop of an outstanding carver active in Prague or Brno in the second quarter of the 14th century. He is provisionally named the Master of the Michle Madonna after one of his most famous works. The Michle Madonna is exhibited in the long-term exhibition of medieval art here. The exhibited head of the Prostějov Madonna is part of a carving of a standing Virgin Mary with the Infant Jesus. Mary is without a crown, a veil covers her hair at the back and does not fall freely over her shoulders but wraps around her entire chest. The detailed delicate carving on the crown of the parted wavy hair strands is striking. They are curled into deep folds that frame the face. A hinted smile enlivens the face with widely open eyes, a short, gently curved nose, and a small chin.

Franciscan Madonna

Prague (?), after 1350 Cast: epoxy resin, polychromy Original: linden wood, later polychromy, H. 134 cm

The statue adorned the cloister of the Franciscan monastery in Plzeň. The figure of the Virgin Mary is tall, elongated, subtly curved, and steps slightly forward. The child sits unnaturally high on her right arm, its head almost level with Mary's. The Infant Jesus is unclothed, with a veil covering his hips. He is depicted almost in profile, and both his hands reach towards Mary's outstretched left hand. The sphere, held by the Savior in his left hand, symbolizes the supreme power of the future absolute ruler. The deep contemplation and certain rigidity are disrupted by the lively gesture of the child's hands. Mary's face is framed by intricately braided strands of long hair, and her crownless head is covered by a veil. A cloak, fastened with a clasp at the chest, covers the plain undergarment. The right tip of the cloak, draped over the arm, creates several sharply cut folds, which disrupt the otherwise flowing rhythm of the garment.

Petr Parléř

St. Vitus workshop, 1378 - 1379 Cast: epoxy resin, patinated Original: sandstone, 63 x 60 cm

The respect enjoyed by the work of the architect of St. Vitus Cathedral is evidenced by the inclusion of his portrait in the portrait gallery of members of the royal family in the triforium of St. Vitus Cathedral. The triforium is a gallery within the thickness of the wall of a cathedral-type church, open to the interior and located below the windows and above the arcades in the choir and nave. As the inscription above the bust in the triforium testifies, Charles IV summoned twenty-three-year-old Petr Parléř to Prague and appointed him master builder of St. Vitus Cathedral in 1356. In the portrait, he has an oval face with slightly sunken cheeks, a high arched forehead, and thin, short-cropped hair combed behind his ears. The gaze of the eyes, without emphasized eyelids, suggests deep contemplation. A short beard on an indistinct chin follows the mustache under a narrow, regular nose. The upturned edge of the collar creates a natural bowl-shaped fold below the neck. The master's emblem is well preserved on the chest: a mason's square on a shield.

Charles IV

St. Vitus workshop, 1375 - 1378 Cast: epoxy resin, patinated Original: sandstone, 58 x 59 cm

Charles IV was often depicted in the 14th century. His likeness can be found in wall paintings, panel paintings, book illustrations, mosaics, goldsmith work, on seals, and coins. The portrait of Charles IV from the triforium of St. Vitus Cathedral, like other portrait busts, was created life-size, polychromed, and adorned with an emblem. The portraits of members of the royal family are arranged in a strict hierarchy. The bust of Charles IV is placed in the most honored position in the center. Here, the king has large, widely spaced eyes. The upper eyelid is emphasized by two strong lines, the lower one is almost straight. The slightly parted mouth below a strong, short nose is framed by a plastically emphasized mustache and beard. Long, wide ribbons, ending in fringes, cover the hair at the sides. They overlap the raised edge of the collar. They are remnants of a mitre – a liturgical head covering.

Anna of Świdnica

St. Vitus workshop, 1375 - 1378 Cast: patinated plaster Original: sandstone, 55 x 53 cm

Fourteen-year-old Princess Anna, daughter of Duke Henry of Świdnica, became the third wife of the then thirty-seven-year-old Charles IV on May 27, 1353. Two months later, she was crowned Queen of Bohemia in Prague and on February 9, 1354, Queen of the Romans in Aachen. The portrait of Anna of Świdnica is among the most charming busts of the triforium. Her oval face on a slender neck with a high, wide forehead is framed by long, natural strands of hair that fall freely over her shoulders. A gentle smile, joyful eyes, a small narrow nose, and a small chin recall the charm of the Madonnas of the emerging beautiful style. Anna of Świdnica's life ended prematurely. She died a year after the birth of her son Václav (born February 26, 1361), the eagerly awaited heir to the throne.

Console with Dog and Cat

St. Vitus workshop, 1370 - 1380 Cast: patinated plaster Original: sandstone, 42 x 73 cm

Gothic architecture was also complemented by fantastic animal and grotesque motifs. On the outer triforium of St. Vitus Cathedral, beneath the consoles, there are small reliefs of animals: a lioness with cubs, a bear, a horse, a unicorn, an eagle, a cat, a hen's head; on the inner triforium, a male mask and a struggling cat and dog. The depiction of a cat in the Middle Ages is often associated with both positive and negative meanings. The dog is an image of loyalty, but also of envy and anger. In the relief from St. Vitus Cathedral, a cat is depicted on the left, threatened from the right by an attacking dog with bared teeth. It is arched. Its right front paw is broken off, and its left paw rests defensively on the dog's head. Its hind legs are braced against the attacker's body. The relief of the cat and dog, which we reproduce on the following page, is an example of a work in which the sculptor expressed his sense of...