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53-534: Master Theodoric , in Latin Magister Theodoricus (before 1328? – before 3 March 1381, active c.  1360–1380 ) 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 . and the first Bohemian painter whose name can be linked to a body of work. Theodoric is considered the chief representative of

106-524: A direct line of descent to Charlemagne and through him to the Trojans . Further evidence of the paintings can be found in the so-called Report on the Repair of Karlštejn Castle of 1597, which states that the family of Emperor Charles IV was painted in the palace (the great hall of the second floor), where the old plaster had fallen off and had to be repainted with lime and faded. Renaissance copies of

159-581: Is a collection of panel paintings and wall paintings that were done on the commission of Charles IV for the Chapel of the Holy Cross at Karlštejn . All together, there are 129 works, all of saints, prophets, or angels. The National Gallery in Prague said that they "only few equals in the world: we believe that it is no exaggeration to say that they bear comparison with such artistic monuments and phenomena as

212-561: Is badly damaged, however numerous similar formal analogies rank it alongside Master Theodoric's mural paintings in the Chapel of the Holy Cross. Gothic art Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.226 via cp1108 cp1108, Varnish XID 223809463 Upstream caches: cp1108 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 07:56:28 GMT Master of

265-607: Is uncertain. Earlier it was assumed to be 1348, however it is possible that an honorary function was only offered to him when he executed the painting of the royal palace at Prague Castle in 1360. In 1359 he is mentioned as "malerius imperatoris" and owner of a house in Hradčany in the Records of the Hradčany town . His house was mentioned once again in 1368 (house no. 185/IV above Úvoz on Hradčany Square. Between 1359 and 1367 he worked as

318-522: Is written evidence of the existence of the Luxembourg family tree by the Brabant chronicler and envoy Edmund de Dynter in 1445, who saw it during an audience with King Wenceslas IV , in the work Chronica nobilissimorum ducum Lotharingiae, Brabantiae ac regum francorum . Wenceslaus IV showed Edmund de Dynter the sua genealogia (his own family tree) that his father Charles IV had had made, showing

371-588: The Chapel of the Holy Cross there are two places that testify to the juxtaposition of different painting styles. They can be found in the perfectly executed preparatory drawings on the altar wall that is then repeated in a simpler form or in mirror reverse in the underdrawings of the paintings. Theodoric's predecessor, the Master of the Luxembourg Genealogy , in all likelihood created the drawn designs on

424-533: The Church Fathers that originate in Theodoric's workshop ( Saint Augustine , Saint Ambrose , Saint Gregory ). Clearly made by another talented artist, these paintings stand out with their unusual degree of realism, the spatial design of their still lifes and their sophisticated colour scheme. With these qualities, they anticipate the development of painting progressing towards the early 15th century and

477-600: The Ottonian dynasty Heinricus ( Henry the Fowler ) with his wife Mathilde ( Matilda of Ringelheim ). The Brabant dukes, who formed a connecting line to the Luxembourg dynasty ( John I, Duke of Brabant and his ancestors), are listed in sequence. Luxembourg portraits begin with Henry VII . John of Luxembourg , Eliška Přemyslovna , Charles IV (3 times) and Blanche of Valois follow. Charles IV acted ostentatiously as

530-689: The Arena in Padua , the churches at Assisi or Sta, Croce in Florence and the palace of the popes in Avignon ." Known for his bold and vigorous style, he is seen as a central figure in the development of Bohemian art. As many other Gothic painters, he used very bright and attention-grabbing colors and bold lines. He painted powerful figures in small frames, filling the viewer with the notion of monumentality. Famous for his use of light and reflection, he created

583-649: The Chapel of the Holy Cross was unique and unprecedented at the north of the Alps. Theodoric's oeuvre is not comparable to anything in European art after the mid-14th century (1360th). He most likely came to Prague from the Rhineland (workshop of William of Cologne?) following a study trip to northern Italy in the 1350s. Pujmanová states that in about 1309 a sculptor described as 'Magister Theodoricus de Alemania', who could have been an ancestor of his and his brother -

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636-646: The Family Tree were made between 1569 and 1575. These survive in two book editions. The first of these, a codex of the former court library in Vienna, dedicated in 1571 to Emperor Maxmilian II , is preserved in the Österreichische Nationalbibliotek in Vienna. It was created by the Czech engineer Matouš Ptáček-Ornys of Lindperk as a basis for the restoration of the damaged paintings, and the reconstruction partly used an old workshop sketchbook from 1370-1390. The second,

689-589: The Karlštejn chapel of St. Catherine. Art historians assume that the Master of the Luxembourg Genealogy is also the author of the so-called Relic Scenes in the Chapel of St. Mary and the double portrait of Charles IV and Anna von Schweidnitz with the relic cross ( Exaltatio crucis ) on the entrance wall of the Emperor's private oratory (St. Catherine's Chapel) at Karlštejn . Before 1360 he probably participated in

742-565: The Luxembourg Genealogy The anonymous Master of the Luxembourg Genealogy probably came from the Flemish part of France. The Luxembourg family tree was created around 1355-1357, after return of Charles IV to Karlštejn from his Roman coronation, which took place on 5 April 1355. However, the murals were destroyed during the renovation of Karlštejn at the end of the 16th century and have survived only in copies. The work of

795-500: The Luxembourg Genealogy was identified by A. Friedl with Nicholas Wurmser , but some more recent literature disagrees with this view and consistently uses the neutral designation Master of the Luxembourg Genealogy. The names and titles of the figures are preserved in a copy called "Linea Caroli IV." In the Heidelberg Codex, which has 56 depictions, including the so-called "Relic Scenes" from Karlštejn Chapel of St. Mary,

848-493: The Master of Luxembourg Genealogy falls into a period when the philosophical-religious perception of the world was permeated by a tendency to know the real reality perceptible to the senses, and this change is also reflected in artistic expression. The first attempts to capture a real likeness are known from French sculptural tombstones ( Jean Pépin de Huy , before 1329, tombstone of Count Charles d'Évreux , 1336) and illuminations and tombstones by André Beauneveu (1365-1400). One of

901-747: The Middle , Pippin III Younger , Carolus ( Carloman of East Francia ) and Carolus Magnus ( Charlemagne ). Charlemagne is followed by the first East Frankish king Ludowicus ( Louis II of Germany ) and the founder of the West Frankish Empire, Carolus Calvus ( Charles the Bald ), then Ludowicus Balbus ( Louis the Pious ), Gerberga and Lambertus the Bearded (cum barba), Gottfried, and the founder of

954-596: The Saxon Chapel of St Vitus Cathedral is similar to Theodoric's paintings. According to Homolka, the illuminators of the A2 and A3 Chapter House Bibles had much in common with Theodoric or else came out of his workshop. Although the International Gothic "Soft style" had no direct successors, the context of the workshop itself influenced succeeding generations of Bohemian Gothic painters. The preparation of

1007-716: The ancient heroes and gods Belus , Ninus , Saturnus , Jupiter , Dardanus , Herictonius, Ylus and Martomirus, and the Trojan king Priamus . He was followed by Pharamond , Clovis I , Merovech and Childeric I - the founders of the Frankish Merovingian dynasty , followed by the Salian dynasty : Cylpericus, Lotharius Magnus ( Lothair of France ). The Carolingian dynasty begins with the fictional double portrait of Blithild and Ansbert , followed by Sancta Boda, Pippin II

1060-588: The autoportrait of Theodoric himself. Specialised craftsmen took care of a series of secondary tasks such as preparing the picture panels, the plastic decoration and goldsmith's elements. There are no records of the painters employed at Theodoric's workshop, however there must have been several of them judging by the scale of the commission and the short time frame of execution, as well as by the ascertained types of underdrawings, confirmed by infrared reflectography . Certain art historians even suppose that several masters and their workshop collaborators were involved. In

1113-458: The chapel. With the stylisation of the figures, the abandoning of the Gothic linear style and the modelling of the faces and drapery using light and shade, Theodoric's paintings surpass the preceding artistic style. It is clear that he was acquainted with French grisaille painting. The pictures can be attributed to Theodoric on the basis of analysing the underdrawings and comparing the execution of

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1166-473: The context of world history. Marignolli 's chronicle is temporally related to the conception of the Family Tree. Charles IV was apparently influenced by his great-uncle, Archbishop of Trier and Elector Baldwin of Luxembourg , who similarly documented the claim to the imperial crown for his brother Henry VII . The imperial majesty, achieved with the help of the Pope , Charles IV also felt it necessary to defend in

1219-413: The copyist may not have captured all the figures of the original Luxembourg family tree. The division of the Family Tree is based on Augustine's conception of four ages - biblical, ancient, Christian and post-last judgment. In the first group of figures, the biblical patriarchs Ham , Cush and Nimrod are depicted alongside the forefather Noah (spiritually representing Christ). This was followed by

1272-507: The earliest pictorial portraits is considered to be the work of an anonymous artist from around 1350, who captured the likeness of the French king John the Good . Although the Master of the Luxembourg Genealogy worked with a formula of basic types of figures, movement patterns, gestures and faces, his art is full of new inventions. He used visual experience to overcome the abstracting linearism of

1325-562: The eyes of the German nobility, who were not in favour of him. The Franciscan William of Ockham referred to him at the time as the "Pope´s King" (pfaffenkönig). Charles IV wanted to return to the conception of the Holy Roman Empire from the time of its origins. After his return from his Roman coronation tour, Charles IV also had the great hall of Prague Castle decorated with a gallery of panel paintings featuring figures of

1378-399: The figures is characterised by the soft modelling of light. With its muted colour tones, it has an affinity to the grisaille painting method. The faces are closely related to several of Theodoric's panel paintings and repeatedly feature the characteristic motif of hair and whiskers coiled into individual strands. The painting is embellished with gilded relief decorations and the backgrounds of

1431-474: The gilding of the background and goldsmith's products as, for example, small crosses attached to the panel with silver nails. Mural paintings in the Chapel of the Holy Cross feature the apocalyptic prophesy - anticipation of the Second coming of Christ on Judgement Day . The walls opposite each other on the vaults of the window niches of the chapel are ascribed to Master Theodoric and his workshop. The drapery of

1484-578: The half-length figures of male saints, female saints and prophets who represented the ' Army of Heaven ' guarding the relics kept in the chapel. Several of the picture frames had small openings into which reliquaries could be inserted. The depiction of the saints in the Holy Cross Chapel was directly linked to the veneration of their relics. The presence of relics of the Passion perhaps served to guarantee, that on his return Christ would descend to

1537-592: The high quality of its execution, the scene of the Annunciation has much in common with the most advanced techniques used in panels paintings by Theodoric's workshop (St Ambrose). Archangel Gabriel's wings are made from strips of tin sheet decorated with lazure painting and gilded plastic decoration. The space is deepened by polygonal Gothic architecture of a cathedral and by the Virgin Mary's diagonal reading stand. The largest and best-preserved painting depicts

1590-528: The holy family in a hut with animals and three kings bearing gifts. The high artistic quality of the execution, the specific typology of the faces and the painting style attest to Master Theodoric as the artist of this work. The painting is characterised above all by the careful execution of the details (the figure of the Infant Christ, the strands of whiskers and hair, the woven wicker fence, the plastically executed royal crown and fine gifts). The figure of

1643-430: The illusion of endless space in his work by allowing light to travel beyond the frame. Art historians have disagreed on several aspects of Theodoric's career. One historian noted that Theodoric was a "unique phenomenon" whose works could not be explained by stylistic evolution, as there were no precedents for his art work, making one believe that he may have been self-taught. Another scholar holds an opposite opinion—that he

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1696-542: The initial designs of the decoration of the Chapel of the Holy Cross at Karlštejn and is attributed with the drawings on the walls of the altar area and also the scene of the Adoration of the Twenty-four Elders in the western window niche. The drawings on the wall of the chapel are not just linear sketches, but the faces are modelled by accentuating the highlights with chalk and also by drawn shadows. There

1749-668: The inspiration for the miniature versions of the Emmaus Latin Bible and the Bible of Scribe Nicholas . According to some of the surviving paintings of the Emmaus cycle, where face types identical to those of the figures from the Heidelberg Codex are found, it is likely that the Master of the Luxembourg Genealogy or his workshop also participated in the decoration of the cloister of the Emmaus Monastery . The Master of

1802-423: The leading court painter of Charles IV in Prague and at Karlštejn Castle. The emperor called his painter and courtier Pictor noster et familiaris . In a special document of 28 April 1367, Charles IV certified that Theodoric's court and fields in the village of Mořina would be freed of all taxes and other charges. This privilege also applied to Theodoric's heirs and was granted in recognition of his decoration of

1855-459: The moist oil base allows the modelling of smooth transitions into a single layer by adding pigment alla prima ( Charlemagne ). It was necessary for other specialised artists, who created a complex system of decorations, to collaborate on the final form of the pictures. These included relief decoration of the background and frame of the pictures (pastiglia), glued plastic decoration, small goldsmith's applications cast from tin and lead into moulds,

1908-634: The northern European Renaissance. Master Bertram , who was later active in Hamburg , evidently worked in Theodoric's workshop. The Master of the Třeboň Altarpiece and the artist who painted the Votive Panel of Jan Očko of Vlašim most probably also came out of Theodoric's workshop as well. In terms of its technology and composition, the mural painting of the Adoration of the Three Kings in

1961-507: The painter Giletto, were active at the court of Charles II of Anjou in Naples . The waiting period for civic rights in Prague was three years, and the newly arrived person wasn't able to become a member of the fraternity of painters straightaway. The date he was entered in the list of the Prague painters' fraternity (Brotherhood of Saint Luke, established 1346), where he was described as a superior ("primus magister") and as "malerius imperatoris",

2014-412: The painting. The drawn designs of the compositions, details of the faces and drapery, as well as the overall completion of the most important portraits in the Chapel of the Holy Cross were ascribed to Theodoric. Theodoric's brush drawing on the heads of the paintings is delicate and firm. On the draperies it is strong and energetic and overlaps onto the frame. Study of the typology of the heads showed that

2067-639: The panels (beechwood), including a double-layered siliceous and chalk base, is identical to practice in France and Germany but doesn't appear in Italy . The preparatory black underdrawing in brush is linear and highly detailed in places. In the final painting, however, numerous divergences have been found, for example in the position of hands. The preparatory drawing is covered with a layer of oil-based lead white paint. This layer also reflects diffuse light falling on it through translucent lazure layers and shines through

2120-476: The phase of International Gothic known as "the Soft style". His masterpiece is the Chapel of the Holy Cross at Charles' newly completed Karlštejn Castle , near Prague , containing a large series of slightly over-lifesize half-length panel portraits of saints and other notable figures on a gold ground . The whole decoration of the chapel was commissioned in 1359 and completed over a number of years. The decoration of

2173-412: The previous period and attempted to individualize the figures. He was one of the European pioneers of the new naturalism in portrait art. His work at the Prague royal court and at Karlštejn influenced the further development of painting, which continued with a set of Master Theodoric panel paintings. or murals with busts of the patron saints and apostles of the country, the work of an unknown master in

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2226-431: The royal chapel at Karlštejn. Theodoric's court was mentioned again in 1381, when it was sold, in a letter by Wenceslaus IV . Mikuláš Mendl of Jílové, father of the goldsmith Jorg, and the goldsmith Jan Waczenser, sold the court to Zdena, the widow of Ješek Mráz of Lazevice. This document is the only one that establishes Theodoric's death before 8 March 1381 and indicates that he left no descendants. Theodoric's magnum opus

2279-512: The scenes are filled out with gold plastic star shapes. The painting's colour scheme is adapted to the opposite wall depicting the Adoration of the Twenty-four Old Men (twelve prophets and twelve apostles, or 24 world rulers) ascribed to the Master of the Luxembourg Genealogy . The monumental painting of God is executed in grisaille. In his hand, God is holding seven stars and a book above which there hang seven candleholders. With

2332-480: The shape of the head and the details of the face, i.e. eyes, nose, are completely identical in a number of cases, as though they originated through tracing. However, some of the faces of saints captivate the viewer's attention with their prominent, seemingly individualized features and psychologized expressions, which anticipate portrait painting of 15th century. The portrait of St Luke the Evangelist might even be

2385-492: The so-called Heidelberg Codex ("Codex-Heidelbergensis") from 1574-1575, was purchased in 1933 for the National Gallery in Prague . The two editions are almost identical and show a total of 56 figures and also the so-called "Relics Scenes" from the Chapel of the Virgin Mary at Karlštejn , which are an important guide for art historians. The copies do not capture the usual Gothic architecture (painted arcades), which

2438-555: The supreme ruler of the Christian world, in his own conception therefore also "the reigning Christ on earth" The compilation of a genealogy served to establish Charles IV 's claim to the imperial crown, and in this respect he was no exception among European ruling families. He summoned the Italian priest and traveller Giovanni de' Marignolli to Prague and commissioned him to write a chronicle that would place Bohemian history in

2491-411: The third king, considered to be a cryptoportrait of Charles IV , is the very first such appearance of a monarch in European art. The paintings are heavily damaged, however the chiaroscuro modelling of the clothes, typology of the faces and execution of the hands has closely related counterparts in the panel paintings of Master Theodoric. The rich composition with its landscape scenery in the background

2544-511: The typology of faces and patterns of movement in figures of the Genealogy. According to Homolka, two heavily damaged panel paintings of SS Peter and Paul from the Chapel of the Holy Cross could have directly originated in the workshop of the Master of the Luxembourg Genealogy, since the technology of their foundation layers is more typical of mural painting and thus differs significantly from the other paintings. Theodoric's workshop carried out

2597-577: The unique overall decoration of the Chapel of the Holy Cross at Karlštejn Castle between 1360 and 1365. The chapel belongs to the tradition of lavishly decorated reliquary chapels that include the emperor chapel in Constantinople , Sancta Sanctorum in the Lateran Palace , or Sainte Chapelle in Paris. The decoration comprises 129 (originally 130) panel paintings in four rows, portraying

2650-415: The uppermost parts of the drapery. The painting itself is executed in egg tempera alternating with layers of oil. The oil base enabled both the arranging of contrasting colour layers and the gradual modelling of the volume. Theodoric's painting is characterised by laying down of semi-lazure layers with the help of the slow-drying oil (possibly walnut) base that enabled wet-on-wet painting. In the flesh tones,

2703-406: The wall of the Chapel of the Holy Cross . Theodoric presumably devised the concept of the entire Chapel about 1360, establishing the composition and palette of all the paintings. His distinctive painting style can be identified in several portraits of the prophets, kings and knights that are part of the overall series. Innovations in the form of painted still lifes appear in the panel paintings of

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2756-583: Was influenced both by Italian and French contemporary art. Theodoric followed on from the work of his predecessor in the service of Charles IV, the Master of the Luxembourg Genealogy , who painted the decoration of the imperial castle-palace at Karlštejn and the 'relic scenes' in the Chapel of the Virgin Mary between 1356 and 1357. This master was familiar with Franco-Flemish art of the 1350th and brought major innovations to mural painting in Bohemia. Several panel paintings ascribed to Theodoric's workshop repeat

2809-415: Was probably part of the murals. Instead, figures of rulers stand or sit on Renaissance plinths with inscriptions. However, the artistically faithful likenesses of Charles IV and his counterparts in the relic scenes, which can be compared with the surviving murals, testify to the high degree of reliability and authenticity of the copies of the figures. The characters of the Family Tree were apparently also

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