Databáze uměleckých výstav v českých zemích 1820 – 1950

The first Exhibition of Bohemian Antiquities in the Czech lands was organized by the Arkadie association for art and literature in Prague. The main initiator of the event was the Czech scholar, playwright, and poet Ferdinand Břetislav Mikovec, who was also the founder of Arkadie. Other notable organizers included the music historian and theorist August Vilém Ambros, along with many other members of Arkadie, such as Josef Mánes and Antonín Lhota. Although the association had sent out the call for submissions, co-signed by the exhibition's guarantor, Count Anton Forgách, and Archbishop Bedřich of Schwarzenberg well in advance, the planned opening was postponed several times during the summer until the beginning of September. This delay was due to the unexpectedly high number of collectors and antiquities submitted for the exhibition. According to a report in Das Vaterland, the organizers assembled over 450 items. [Anonymous author 1861, p. 5] The collection consisted of diverse heritage objects: artistic (paintings, illuminated manuscripts, small sculptures), artisanal (decorative bowls, jugs, jewellery) and ecclesiastical (reliquaries, altars, devotional objects) artefacts, as well as various weapons, musical instruments and many other small objects. Most lenders were private collectors (Vojtěch Lanna Jr., Josef Mánes, Josef Hellich, etc.), especially from the ranks of the nobility (František Desfours, Ferdinand of Lobkowitz, Albrecht of Kounice, František Thun-Hohenstein, etc.) Many objects were also lent by Czech cities (Prague, Litoměřice, Kutná Hora, České Budějovice, etc.), as well as by selected public (Prague University Library, Prague Armoury) and religious institutions (St. Vitus Cathedral, Strahov Monastery, Teplá Monastery, etc.). Oddly, the Museum of the Kingdom of Bohemia and the Society of Patriotic Friends of the Arts were missing among the lenders. [Ryneš 1968, p. 631] When selecting the artifacts for the exhibition, the main concern was to convey to the visitors a characteristic image of each epoch and "a testimony to the artistic bustle and splendour that developed in Bohemia in the Middle Ages and lasted until the 17th century." [Mikovec - Ambros 1861] According to the catalogue, which was published belatedly, first in German and then in a more extended Czech version, the show consisted of over 330 items. The items were exhibited at the Old Town Hall, specifically in the Senate Hall and the Municipal Hall, which "much enhanced the impression" of the exhibition [Z. 1861, p. 178]. A review in the magazine Bohemia, written as a guide of the exhibition halls, provided a detailed description of the installation. The entrance fee was set at a modest 30 kreutzers. The exhibition enjoyed great popularity among international lay and professional audiences and was extended until at least October 6, garnering numerous laudatory reviews in the local and international press.

After the end of the exhibition, the painter and photographer Jan Brandeis photographed 37 “most interesting archaeological monuments” [Anonymous author 1862, p. 4]. The board of directors of the Arkadia association chose these artefacts for their uniqueness but also because their owners were willing to make them available for photography [ibid.]. The selection included some of the most popular and admired artworks such as the Madonna of Strahov (after 1350), Altarpiece of Zlíchov (1520–1530), the statuette of St. Sebastian (17th century), a Saxon sword (1533), etc. One of the outstanding items, a bowl from the private collection of František Desfours, inspired an enthusiastic commentary in the Prager Zeitung: “The beautiful lapis-lazuli bowl is a magnificent piece that never ceases to attract the spectators’ eyes; it has already become a dominant feature of the exhibition among the visitors.” [M. 1861, p. 2] Brandeis's albumen photographs were first displayed separately in April 1862 in the window of Adolf Kuranda's bookshop in Prague and were subsequently published by Kuranda in ten parts under the title Fotografisches Album Böhmischer Althertümer. In this period, it was a common practice to divide larger illustrated publications into several “editions” (German: Lieferung) [Faber 2015, p. 68]. Each published part contained four sheets of folio format with pasted images and accompanying texts by Ferdinand Mikovec. These publications cost six guldens, but visitors could also buy the separate sheets for two guldens per piece. Brandeis photographed each object individually, some of them from two different perspectives. Their arrangement follows the photographic practice of the time – they are set against a neutral background, or the background is hand-painted with a contrasting black colour. This set is the earliest surviving example of photographic documentation of exhibition objects in Bohemia. It was modelled on similar photographic publications, such as Nejvýznamnější brnění a zbraně z c. k. Ambraské sbírky (The Most Important Armour and Weapons from the k. und k. Ambras collection) with photographs by Andreas Groll.

In its concept, the Prague exhibition followed the series of antiquities exhibitions held across Central Europe, which reflected the period's reverence and exploration of cultural and historical monuments of all kinds. In one respect, however, it differed from the other exhibitions: it had a strong patriotic charge, reflecting the development of cultural and social life after the fall of Bach's absolutism. The show’s success sparked discussions about a sequel, but this never materialized due to Mikovec’s untimely death. The proceeds were used to finance a perpetual light lamp for the Church of Sts. Cyril and Methodius in Karlín [Jiřík 1899, p. 765].

This exhibition was the first to present valuable heritage objects from private collections and to raise the public awareness of them, supported by photographic documentation. It also contributed to Czech patriotism, heritage conservation and scientific disciplines such as art history and archaeology. In addition, it inspired a number of other regional exhibitions of the same kind across the Czech lands.

Denisa Tichá

Works Cited

Anonymous author 1861: Anonymous author, Oesterreichische Monarchie, Das Vaterland II, 1861, no. 200 (příloha), 29. 8., p. 5

Anonymous author 1862: Anonymous author, Prager und Provinzial-Nachrichten, Prager Zeitung, 1862, no. 94, 19. 4., p. 4

Faber 2015: Monika Faber, „…a plnou silou se vrhl na fotografování…“ Detaily z profesního života jednoho z prvních fotografů, in: Monika Faber – Petra Trnková (eds.), Andreas Groll – neznámý fotograf 1812–1872, Vídeň – Praha 2015, pp. 27–95

Jiřík 1899: František Xaver Jiřík, Josef Mánes, Květy XXI, 1899, no. 6, pp. 764–765

M. 1861: M., Die archäologische Ausstellung V, Prager Zeitung, 1861, no. 231, 29. 9., p. 2

Mikovec – Ambros 1861: Ferdinand Břetislav Mikovec – August Vilém Ambros, Předmluva, in: Seznam českých starožitností ve výstavě uspořádané od jednoty Arkadie v Praze (kat. výst.), Praha 1861

Ryneš 1968: Václav Ryneš, Účast malířů Josefa Mánesa a Josefa V. Hellicha na prvé výstavě „českých starožitností“, Umění XVI, 1968, no. 6, pp. 631–633

Z. 1861: Z., Výstava starožitností na radnici Pražské ku konci září a na začátku října 1861, Památky archaeologické a místopisné, 1861, no. 4, p. 178

Further Reading

Ferdinand Břetislav Mikovec – Johann Brandeis, Fotografisches Album Böhmischer Althertümer aus der im September 1861 auf dem altstädter Rathhause zu Prag veranstalteten ersten archäologischen Ausstellung des Vereins Arkadia, Prag 1862

Jan Bouzek, Dějiny archeologie II, Praha 1984, p. 30, 113

Klement Benda, Vocelovi pokračovatelé a současníci, in: Rudolf Chadraba – Josef Krása – Rostislav Švácha et. al., Kapitoly z českého dějepisu umění I. Předchůdci a zakladatelé, Praha 1986, pp. 110–111

Pavel Scheufler, Fotografie jako dokument pražského života, in: Milena Freimannová (ed.), Město v české kultuře 19. století, Praha 1983, p. 259

Pavel Scheufler, Osobnosti fotografie v českých zemích do roku 1918, Praha 2014, p. 44

Vladimír Birgus – Pavel Scheufler, Česká fotografie v datech 1839–2019, Praha 2021, p. 27

Anonymous author, Běžné zprávy Pražské, Pozor, 1861, no. 37, 1. 7., p. 152; no. 54, 9. 8., p. 220; no. 57, 16. 8., p. 232; no. 64, 2. 9., p. 260; no. 7, 2. 10., p. 312

Anonymous author, Böhmen, Tagesbote aus Böhmen X, 1861, no. 212, 3. 8., p. 3; no. 243, 3. 9., p. 3; no. 272, 2. 10., p. 3

Anonymous author, Culturgeschichtliche Nachrichten, Illustrirte Zeitung, 1861, no. 939, 29. 6., p. 451; no. 949, 7. 9., p. 175

Anonymous author, Culturgeschichtliche Nachrichten, Illustrirte Zeitung, 1862, no. 991, 28. 6., p. 443

Anonymous author, Domácí zprávy, Národní listy I, 1861, no. 164, 17. 6., p. 2; no. 178, 1. 7., p. 2; no. 238 (supplement), 30. 8., p. 5

Anonymous author, Feuilleton, Brünner Zeitung, 1862, no. 226, 1. 10., p. 1827

Anonymous author, Feuilleton, Lada II, 1862, no. 13, 8. 7., p. 163

Anonymous author, Feuilleton, Lumír XI, 1861, no. 25, 20. 6., p. 596; no. 28, 11. 7., p. 666; no. 30, 25. 7., p. 716; no. 31, 1. 8., p. 739; no. 32, 8. 8., p. 763–764; no. 34, 22. 8., p. 811

Anonymous author, Feuilleton, Wiener Zeitung, 1861, no. 230, 3. 10., p. 911

Anonymous author, Humoristické listy III, 1861, no. 47, 24. 8., p. 403

Anonymous author, Kronländer, Wiener Zeitung, 1861, no. 140, 18. 6., p. 2218

Anonymous author, Kunst und Literatur, Tagespost (Graz), 1862, no. 200, 31. 8., p. 3

Anonymous author, Litteratur, Europa (Wochenchronik der Europa), 1862, no. 41, p. 505

Anonymous author, Local- und Provinzialchronik, Bohemia (příloha) XXXIV, 1861, no. 230, 28. 9., p. 2163

Anonymous author, Local- und Provinzialchronik, Bohemia XXXV, 1862, no. 93, 18. 4., p. 916

Anonymous author, Mannigfaltiges, Egerer Anzeiger XV, 1861, no. 25, 20. 6., p. 6

Anonymous author, Neueste Nachrichten, Brünner Zeitung, 1861, no. 150, 4. 7., p. 1204

Anonymous author, Notiz - Blätter, Über Land und Meer III, 1861, no. 46, 11. 8., p. 723; no. 50, 8. 9., p. 787

Anonymous author, Oesterreichische Monarchie, Das Vaterland II, 1861, no. 191, 18. 8., p. 1; no. 192, 20. 8., p. 2; no. 200 (supplement) 29. 8., p. 5; no. 205, 4. 9., p. 2; no. 208, 7. 9., p. 2; no. 223, 25. 9., p. 3

Anonymous author, Politische Tagesnachrichten, Brünner Zeitung, 1861, no. 159, 14. 7., p. 1274; no. 212, 15. 9., pp. 1720–1721

Anonymous author, Prager und Provinzial-Nachrichten, Prager Zeitung, 1861, no. 142, 18. 6., p. 3; no. 182, 3. 8., p. 3; no. 188, 10. 8., p. 4; no. 233, 2. 10., p. 3

Anonymous author, Prager und Provinzial-Nachrichten, Prager Zeitung, 1862, no. 94, 19. 4., p. 4

Anonymous author, Rozmanitosti, Boleslavan I, 1861, no. 33, 25. 8., p. 276; no. 35, 15. 9., p. 291, 292

Ferdinand B. Mikovec, Aus Prag. Im August (Wissenschaft, Kunst und öffentliches Leben), Wiener Zeitung, 1861, no. 189, 15. 8., p. 2943

Ferdinand B. Mikovec, Aus Prag. Im Juli (Wissenschaft, Kunst und öffentliches Leben), Wiener Zeitung, 1861, no. 165, 18. 7., p. 2618