Images of Beauty and Salvation. The Gothic Style in Southwest Bohemian

This book represents the first ever comprehensive account of Gothic art in southwest Bohemia. The rich artistic culture in the region of the Úhlava and upper Otava river basin peaked around the turn of the sixteenth century in the work commissioned by Půta Švihovský of Rýzmberk and Zdeněk Lev of Rožmitál and in particular in the sculptural work of the brilliant anonymous artist known as the Master of the Zvíkov Pieta. The book results from new, extensive and in-depth art-historical and archive research. The representative selection of Gothic art it presents was determined on the basis of the artistic quality of the works and the expository approaches of individual researchers. The book particularly focuses on the commissions by the local nobility and burghers. Devised and edited by experts from the Institute of Art History of the Faculty of Arts, Charles University, and the West Bohemian Gallery in Pilsen, the book contains studies on historical and cultural development and art history and a catalogue comprising the most important works of architecture, sculpture, painting, and arts and crafts under sections devoted to Towns, Sacred Architecture, Castle Architecture, Panel and Mural Painting, Book Illustrations, Sculpture and Applied Arts, and there are also several excursuses encompassing every art form that focus on function, iconography, the issue of authorship, and workshop operations (Sacred Interiors, Pieta – Subject and Workshop). The publication is accompanied by a detailed bibliography and an index of names and places, and concludes with an English summary.