My Favorite Paintings at the National Gallery (Schwarzenberg Palace) in Prague

I must confess that Prague itself was a living museum and the uniqueness and beauty of it overshadowed any artwork I saw in its museum.  However, it's National Gallery (Schwarzenberg Palace (Schwarzenberský Palác)) did collect some important and quite moving paintings, particularly those with dark and nationalistic works, documenting the endless struggle of the great nation.

The National Gallery in Prague had several locations, each host a specific group of collections.  Here in Schwarzenberg Palace, the collection was labeled as "Baroque in Bohemia - Permanent Exhibition of the Collection of Old Masters of the National Gallery in Prague".

Schwarzenberg Palace was a renaissance building, located near the Prague Castle, built between 1545 and 1576 for the Prague Count Jan Lobkowicz the Younger, and for that reason it was originally called the Lobkowicz Palace. The castle passed to the emperor then Petr Vok z Rožmberka, and the Schwarzenberg family, who owned the palace from 1719 until 1948.

My first favorite painting there is a diptych featuring four Saints - Wenceslas,Vitus, Sigismund and Adalbert, by Bartholomaeus Spranger (21 March 1546 – August 1611), a Flemish Northern Mannerist painter, draughtsman, and etcher.  The somewhat stiff poses of these saints gave these four figures an other-worldliness and timelessness.



Saints, Wenceslas, Vitus, Sigismund and Adalbert (after 1585)
Bartholomaeus Spranger (21 March 1546 – August 1611)

My second favorite was "Portrait of a Man" by Karel Škréta (1610 – July 30, 1674), a Czech Baroque painter.  Though produced rather early, the verisimilitude of this work was quite astonishing and the contrast between light and dark created a symphony of light, though in a minor key.


Portrait of a man (after 1640) 
Karel Škréta (1610 – July 30, 1674)

Finally, I must include a picture of the building - a marvelous palace with wonderfully characterful façade. 




My Favorite Museum Collection Series

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List of My Favorite Artworks in the Museums I've Visited

My Favoritate Sculptures on Karl's Bridge, Prague

Prague was my first stop in Central Europe in early 2000s, which included the capitals of Czech Republic, Austria and Hungary.

The most impressive art in Prague is the city itself, more so than anything I'd seen in a museum, cathedral or a monastery.  The best of it was Karlův most (Charles Bridge) over Vltava, linking the "Old Town" to the even older "Malá Strana (Lesser Quarter)", named after the Holy Roman Emperor, Karl IV, who was the first Bohemian king who ascended the imperial throne.

We stayed in Malá Strana and every morning, I would take a little short stroll to walk on the wonderful bridge, to savor the quiet and intimate moments when most tourists had not flooded the bridge and to admire the continuous alley of statues and statuaries, 30 in all, mostly in baroque-style, originally erected around 1700 but now all replaced by replicas.

I will cite two as my favorites.  One is St Philip Benzi (St. Philip Benitius) (socha sv. Filipa Benicia):



It was designed by Michal Bernard Mandl in 1714 and portrayed St. Philip Benitius, fifth general of the Servites, holding a cross, a book and a spray. A papal crown lay behind his foot. This is an understated, but highly charged statue.  The inner conflict was betrayed by his unsettled right leg and arm, despite the calmness on his face.  The picture I took above had a very dramatic clouds background and it was a perfect foil for the restrained sculpture.

My next favorite was a much more ornate sculpture of Saint Francis of Assisi (socha sv. Františka Serafinského), flanked by two large winged angels.  The frontal view of sculpture was quite plain and humble, befit to the character of the saint. However, when viewed with the impressive wings as focal point, it became incredibly dramatic and ornate - perhaps Rodin would not have approved it but I loved its view like this. 



Perhaps a bit sentimental, whenever I looked at this picture, I remembered that street musician playing "Que sera, sera", under a colorful umbrella.  The very essence of bohemian life.


My Favorite Museum Collection Series

>> My Favorite Museum Collection Series 36: My Favorite Paintings at the National Gallery (Schwarzenberg Palace) in Prague
<< My Favorite Museum Collection Series 34: My Favorite Sculptures at Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, Paris

List of My Favorite Artworks in the Museums I've Visited