After half a century, a comprehensive publication on Baroque architecture is being released

Prague - An extensive publication on Baroque architecture in Bohemia, summarizing research from recent years, has been prepared by art historians from Charles University and the Academy of Sciences. The authors focus not only on famous leading architects but also on the works of lesser-known regional creators, complementing the context with studies on the relationship between Baroque architecture and sculpture, painting, or landscape, publishing previously unknown plans or archival materials, some buildings are presented for the first time ever and others in a fundamentally new interpretation.
    The sizable book "Baroque Architecture in Bohemia" has over 700 pages, with its main authors being Petr Macek, Richard Biegel, and Jakub Bachtík. However, the initiator of the book was art historian Mojmír Horyna, whose main life interest was Baroque architecture. He invited his collaborators and students to work on the publication. The book was supposed to be published in 2012, marking half a century since the first major publication by Heinrich Gerhard Franz on Baroque architecture in Bohemia.
    "However, in 2011, Professor Horyna unexpectedly passed away. Therefore, we decided to write the book somewhat 'for him,' but through our own eyes and based on our long-term reflections and discussions," said Richard Biegel, one of Horyna’s students to ČTK; all other authors of the contributions are also his students who addressed many topics within the framework of their master's and doctoral theses.
    According to him, the value of the book should lie precisely in its completeness and internal interconnectedness - the reader does not receive isolated studies but a panoramic overview that equips them with the most important insights, presents a clearly defined interpretation of a given work or author, and directs them further in case of additional questions or interest in deeper knowledge.
    The authors focus not only on the works of famous creators such as Jan Blažej Santini-Aichel or Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer but also on the works of lesser-known regional creators. The book contains, apart from previously unknown archival materials, many research discoveries. Some buildings and names are presented for the first time in a coherent overview (Anton Schmidt, Girolamo Costa, Ondřej Kondel), and others in a new interpretation (Jean Baptista Mathey, Pavel Ignác Bayer, Jan Paul Loschy).
    "The personality of Jean Baptista Mathey is presented comprehensively for the first time; alongside a new interpretation of his position among contemporary Roman and Italian influences, the fundamental discovery of his late works is crucial, as their character and quality presage the work of Santini-Aichel, who most likely apprenticed with Mathey," notes Biegel, citing examples of research findings. The handwriting of Mathey bears the architecture of several palaces in Prague or the castle in Troja, yet has been attributed so far rather to Giovanni Domenico Orsini as the main builder.
    The authors have newly substantiated some significant early realizations of Kryštof Dientzenhofer, which demonstrate his important role in contemporary European architecture. "New interpretations have also been applied to the extensive works of Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer, who is literally the keystone of Baroque architecture in Bohemia," the researcher concludes.