St. Wenceslas, Duke of Bohemia

The National Museum presents illuminated manuscripts and other works of art, reflecting the essential character of Czech statehood – Prince Wenceslas – in the historical building of the National Museum in Prague.

The exhibition shows changes of faces and figures of St. Wenceslas on illuminations of medieval and early modern period´s manuscripts. The basis of the exhibition make borrowed manuscripts of the Austrian National Library. The most important exhibit is a magnificently decorated manuscript intended to Rudolf II. Vita et martyrium sancti Venceslai Bohemiae regis... (The Life and Martyr of Saint Wenceslas), which is represented to the Czech public for the first time and probably last.

A component part of the exhibition is also a manuscript Historical images that illuminates the life and martyrdom of Saint Wenceslas, and subserved like artwork for the manuscript Life of St. Wenceslas. It was illuminated by a court painter Matyáš Hutský in 1585 and was devoted to Bohemian Governor Archduke Ferdinand.

Around the main manuscript there are exhibited other valuable objects on the topic of St. Wenceslas. A shrine in the form of a bust of St. Wenceslas made of gilded silver which King Vladislav Jagiellonian devoted to the St. Vitus Cathedral at the turn of the 15th and 16th century. A magnificently illuminated manuscript acquired Czech nobleman, John of Házmburk for the Czech King Ferdinand I. The unique illuminations in this manuscript record fresco portraits of Czech kings, which were destroyed by a great fire of Prague Castle in 1541.

The first of two exhibition halls is dedicated to the history and development of book illustration. It presents the rarest and most beautiful works of illuminated art, which are preserved in the Austrian National Library and the Library of the National Museum.

The exhibition of manuscripts is accompanied by a small exhibition on the history of Czech book paintings, from medieval illuminations in manuscripts of the 14th century to the illustrations by Josef Manes.

St. Wenceslas as the most important Czech saint appeared in the book illustrations even at a later time in the printed book in the form of woodcut and copper engraving. At the exhibition the graphic illustration is represented by woodcuts in the famous Czech chronicle by Vaclav Hajek of Libočany from 1541.

The event takes place from March 24 to May 5, 2010.