Wenceslas of Bohemia

Visitors still have time until 31 January 2010 to see the exhibition “Wenceslas of Bohemia – Saint and Ruler” in the State Hall of the Austrian National Library.

The highlight of the exhibition is the codex recently acquired from an American private owner by UNIQA Versicherung, the largest art insurer in central Europe. A magnificently designed manuscript on the life and work of the legendary Bohemian prince and saint, it marks the return to Europe of a valuable example of early book art.

Alongside this valuable manuscript is another sixteenth century (1585) manuscript from the Library archives by the Prague painter Matthias Hutský, which, according to Library director Johanna Rachinger, was the first of its type.

Examining source documents

The two practically identical scripts were modelled on disquisitions on Bohemian history that were popular in the sixteenth century, an era in which truth and legend were still intertwined. In addition to the two splendid codices, the National Library is also showing other written sources of this type, including the chronicle by Václav Hájek of 1541 describing the history of Bohemia from Wenceslas’s ancestor Čech in the year to 644 to the coronation of Ferdinand I. Also on show is The History of the Kingdom of Bohemia by Jan Dubravius (1486–1553), another important source for the magnificent illustrative cycles of the sixteenth century.

The pictorial aspects of these precious volumes focus in particular on a fresco cycle painted in the mid-fifteenth century in the Wenceslas Chapel in Prague. The pictures and miniatures show the political activities and acts of Christian charity by Wenceslas of Bohemia.

Vita: Prague link

Wenceslas of Bohemia was born around 907. While still a minor, he was named prince of Bohemia. He was raised as a Christian by his grandmother and encouraged the spread of Christianity during his regency. He built castles and churches and looked after the poor and weak. He was murdered by his brother Boleslav in 935, and legends surrounding his life were quick to grow thereafter. He is still regarded today as a national saint, and one of the main squares in Prague bears his name.

After it closes in Vienna, the exhibition, for which set designer Christoph Cremer has created a symbolic winged altar, will move to the National Museum in Prague.