The Votive Panel of Jan Očko of Vlašim
[Alternative names: ''Votive Picture of Jan Očko of Vlašim'', ''Votive Painting of Jan Očko of Vlašim'', ''Votive Panel of Archbishop Očko of Vlašim'', ''Votive Panel of Archbishop Jan Očko of Vlašim'', ''Votive Painting of Archbishop John Očko of Vlašim'', etc.] is a
Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, a Germanic people
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Gothic alphabet, an alphabet used to write the Gothic language
** Gothic ( ...
panel painting
A panel painting is a painting made on a flat panel of wood, either a single piece or a number of pieces joined together. Until canvas became the more popular support medium in the 16th century, panel painting was the normal method, when not pain ...
now in the
National Gallery in Prague
The National Gallery Prague (, NGP), formerly the National Gallery in Prague (), is a state-owned art gallery in Prague, which manages the largest collection of art in the Czech Republic and presents masterpieces of Czech and international fine a ...
,
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
. It is one of the most important artworks made in medieval
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...
. The panel was painted for the
Prague archbishop Jan Očko of Vlašim
Jan Očko of Vlašim (; Jan VIII as the Bishop of Olomouc) (? – died 1380), from the family of the House of Vlašim, was the second Archbishop of Prague (1364–1378). He was the uncle to his successor Jan of Jenštejn.
Biography Early lif ...
who is depicted kneeling before
St. Adalbert of Prague in the lower part of the picture (
donor portrait
A donor portrait or votive portrait is a portrait in a larger painting or other work showing the person who commissioned and paid for the image, or a member of his, or (much more rarely) her, family. ''Donor portrait'' usually refers to the portr ...
). The author(s) of the painting is (are) not known. The style of the painting stands between the works of
Theodoric of Prague
Master Theodoric, in Latin Magister Theodoricus (before 1328? – before 3 March 1381, active ) was a Czech painter. He is the best documented Gothic painter in Bohemia. He was the favourite court painter of Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor.Fajt ...
and the
Master of the Třeboň Altarpiece __NOTOC__
The Master of the Třeboň Altarpiece () was a Bohemian painter active in Prague around 1380–1390. His name is derived from the Třeboň Altarpiece from the church of Saint Eligius at the Augustinian convent of Třeboň (known in Ger ...
(who represents the so-called ''Beautiful style'',
Central Europe
Central Europe is a geographical region of Europe between Eastern Europe, Eastern, Southern Europe, Southern, Western Europe, Western and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Central Europe is known for its cultural diversity; however, countries in ...
an form of
International Gothic
International Gothic is a period of Gothic art that began in Burgundy, France, and northern Italy in the late 14th and early 15th century. It then spread very widely across Western Europe, hence the name for the period, which was introduced by the ...
).
History
The panel was originally placed in the chapel of
Roudnice
Roudnice is a municipality and village in Hradec Králové District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 800 inhabitants.
Etymology
The name is derived from the red shades of colour (in Czech ''rudá'') of the water ...
Castle, which belonged to the bishops and archbishops of Prague who used it as their residence. In 1371
[''"Item post hec die XV mensis eiusdem'' une 1371''consecravit capellam novam in magna turri in castro suo Rudnicz in honore beate Marie Virginis et sanctorum patronorum ecclesie Pragensis: Viti, Wenceslai, Adalberti atque Zigismundi."'' ] the chapel was consecrated in honor of the Virgin Mary and patron saints of Bohemia, and this is probably the date when the picture was finished.
[
]
Description
The picture measures 181 x 96 cm and it is painted on a panel made of lime wood
''Tilia'' is a genus of about 30 species of trees or bushes, native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The tree is known as linden for the European species, and basswood for North American species. In Great Britain and Irelan ...
.Wenceslaus IV
Wenceslaus IV (also ''Wenceslas''; ; , nicknamed "the Idle"; 26 February 136116 August 1419), also known as Wenceslaus of Luxembourg, was King of Bohemia from 1378 until his death and King of Germany from 1376 until he was deposed in 1400. As he ...
. St. Sigismund of Burgundy stands behind Charles IV, while St. Wenceslaus of Bohemia stands behind the young king as his patron. In the lower part of the panel stand other Bohemian (Czech) patron saints (from the left): St. Procopius, St. Adalbert, St. Vitus
Vitus (), whose name is sometimes rendered Guy or Guido, was a Christian martyr from Sicily. His surviving hagiography is pure legend. The dates of his actual life are unknown.Basil Watkins, ''The Book of Saints: A Comprehensive Biographical D ...
and St. Ludmila. In the middle there is kneeling Archbishop Jan Očko of Vlašim who is adoring St. Adalbert, his predecessor in the post of bishop of Prague.
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Votive Panel of Jan Ocko of Vlasim
Czech gothic paintings
1370s paintings
14th-century portraits
Paintings of the Madonna and Child
Paintings in the National Gallery Prague
Gold ground paintings
Paintings with donor portraits