| Abstrakt: |
Of Bohemian glass‐painting from the time of Charles IV there is only one window, depicting the Crucifixion, in the castle of Karlstein, and three windows containing scenes from the life of the Virgin Mary in the Maria Church at Kolin left. The first section of the paper deals with the window at Karlstein (Konsthistorisk Tidskrift, 1947, No. 1–2). The writer stresses its epochmaking character as being one of the earliest examples of glass‐painting, which has entirely adopted the principles of contemporary painting both in composition and in colouring. For reasons based on architectural history this glass‐painting has been dated at about 1357. It is not possible to ascribe its style to any school of glass‐painting outside Bohemia; on the other hand, in style it is apparently related to a series of frescoes— now preserved only as copies—at Karlstein, depicting the genealogy of the Luxembourgians and executed in the 1350 s. The genealogical tree has been ascribed to Nikolaus Wurmser, of Strasbourg, and its style—apart from certain Italian elements—is apparently derived from contemporary Northern French art. But this genealogical tree is in turn closely connected with the frescoes in the cloister of Emaus Abbey, in Prague, and with those in the staircase porch at Karlstein. The writer seeks to trace the Northern French line in the development of Bohemian art. The painting done in Emaus Abbey went on for about 20 years, and a strong Italian influence is gradually exerted in the course of the work, though it comes direct from North Italy rather than being transferred via Avignon, as has frequently been alleged. Nevertheless the Italian precepts are “melted down” and remoulded by way of the earlier Northern French stylistic ideas, and the result is the magnificent Gothicized and altogether Cisalpine fresco style of the north cloister. This in turn is an essential link in the development that led up to the emergence of the Master of Wittingau, which for other reasons also may be dated at about 1380. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER] |
