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 numerous collection of casts of medieval works. From these, more than a dozen works were selected, which vividly illustrate the stylistic transformation of sculptural form from the Romanesque period to the Late Gothic. The selection clearly shows how the sculptors' approach to depicting religious images and everyday reality changed over the centuries. The exhibited set captures stone sculpture and woodcarving works in copies. The originals of some of them 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 us 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 decorated portals and narthexes; indoors, they were on consoles, columns, and pillars, complementing the decoration of altars. Later, sculptures were increasingly used outside of architecture, which was accompanied by a change in their format and the diversity 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 often used, more rarely fruit trees and conifers. Wood carvings, and also some stone statues, were usually given a colored finish – polychromy.

Votive relief from St. George's Basilica

Bohemia, before 1228 Cast: patinated plaster Original: golden opuka, 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, most likely secondarily joined into one whole. The surface of the central panel is filled by the most important figure of the seated Virgin Mary on a throne. She holds the Infant Jesus on her lap, depicted in profile and with an uplifted blessing right hand. 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 below the steps of the throne at Mary's feet. On 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, presumably Abbess Anežka, the king's half-sister.

Madonna of Prostějov

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

The statue is attributed to the workshop of an excellent carver active in Prague or Brno in the second quarter of the 14th century. After one of his most famous works, he is provisionally called the Master of the Michle Madonna. The Michle Madonna is exhibited in the long-term exhibition of medieval art here. The displayed head of the Prostějov Madonna is part of a carving of the standing Virgin Mary with the Infant Jesus. Mary is without a crown, the veil at the back covers her hair and does not fall loosely on 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 twisted 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, imperceptibly curved, and steps slightly forward. The child sits unnaturally high on her right arm, its head almost level with Mary's.…