Martin Mádl – Radka Heisslerová – Tadeáš Kadlec (edd.)
The book, co-authored by Martin Mádl, Radka Heisslerová, Tadeáš Kadlec, Sylva Dobalová, and Petra Zelenková, deals with the building projects of Count Johann Joachim Slavata of Chlum and Košumberk (1635-1689). This Czech nobleman became the lord of the manor and ruler of the Hradec estate in 1673 and soon received important posts in the provincial administration. Various building projects reflect this change in Slavata’s social status. In the book’s first chapters, the authors focus on the Baroque adaptation of the Hradec family palace at Malá Strana (today part of the Embassy of the Italian Republic) and its interior decoration. Drawing on archival materials, they trace the course of the construction and artistic work carried out in the palace between 1673 and 1689. The book reconstructs the layout of the public and private spaces of the Slavata residence. It also interprets the fragmentarily preserved architectural and artistic elements, especially in the ceremonial suite. Other Prague projects include the former Slavata Garden in Smíchov, where several architectural and sculptural elements have survived. Special attention is given to the renovation of the tower in the Malá Strana palace and the gate of the Slavata Garden, the articulation of which remarkably anticipates the Central European dynamic Baroque. The South Bohemian chateau of Červená Lhota – another building renovated during the time of Johann Joachim Slavata – is discussed in a chapter devoted primarily to the chateau’s partially preserved main hall and its stucco and recently uncovered painted decoration. The book continues with contextual studies that deal with Slavata prints and artists who worked for Johann Joachim Slavata. It also includes an excursus focusing on the wedding of Maria Josefa Slavatová and Heřman Jakub Černín and the wedding feast held in the newly renovated chateau in early 1687. A separate chapter summarises the structural changes to the Slavata Palace during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Finally, the book includes an edition of relevant written sources. The texts are accompanied by photographic material, an index of names and places, a list of sources, works cited, and a foreign-language summary.
First edition, Czech, colour images, 440 pages, Artefactum 2024
ISBN: 978-80-88283-76-8
