Prague, The Crown of Bohemia, 1347-1437, the companion to a landmark exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, celebrates the remarkable flowering of art that took place in Prague as the city emerged as a European cultural capital. In essays and entries on works of art drawn from Czech, other European, and American collections, an esteemed group of scholars elucidate this compelling chapter in European history. Among the nearly 200 objects are paintings, including panels by Master Theodoric from the Holy Cross Chapel at Karlstejn Castle; goldsmiths work from Saint Vituss Cathedral that has not been exhibited for decades; sculpture; drawings, including an artists model book with its original carrying case; stained glass; embroideries from ecclesiastical vestments; and illuminated manuscripts from the personal collection of Wenceslas IV. These precious objects bear witness to the achievements of the hundreds of artists trained and active in Prague and its rulers dominions during this spectacular century. A spectacular survey of works of art from the reigns of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV and his sons. This beautiful book celebrates the remarkable flowering of art in Prague during the reigns of Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV and his two sons, Wenceslas IV and Sigismund. When crowned king of Bohemia in 1347, Charles vowed to make Prague the cultural rival of Paris and Rome. He rebuilt its castle and began a massive building campaign to glorify Saint Vituss Cathedral. In the ensuing century, Prague became not only an imperial but also an intellectual and artistic capital.In essays and detailed entries on some 240 artworks drawn from American and European collections, an esteemed group of scholars traces the birth of a distinctly Bohemian art in Prague in the mid-fourteenth century and its diffusion throughout Europe over the next hundred years. Panel paintings, goldsmiths work, sculpture, stained glass, and illuminated manuscripts bear witness to the wide-ranging achievements of the hundreds of artists who were active in Bohemian lands during this spectacular century. Not since they were created have these magnificent objects been accorded the attention that they deserve on an international stage.
