The exhibition from the collections of the National Gallery Prague, which can be visited on the first floor of the convent complex, presents more than two hundred exhibits of painting, sculpture and arts and crafts documenting transformations in form and function in the course of three hundred years. Exhibits linked by provenance to the Czech Lands are complemented with artworks created in the wider central European context – especially in Franconia, Austria and Saxony – by, among others, Hans Pleydenwurff, Albrecht Altdorfer, Hans Hesse and Lucas Cranach the Elder.
The oldest artworks in this exhibition date from the rule of the Přemyslid dynasty of which St Agnes of Bohemia, the founder of this convent, was a member. The best works from the collections and national cultural legacy treasures include those dating from Luxembourg rule – that of King John of Bohemia and, especially, his successor Emperor Charles IV and his sons. Outstanding painters and sculptors active in the Luxembourg era included the Master of the Madonna of Michle, the Master of Vyšší Brod, Master Theodoric, the Master of the Třeboň Altarpiece and the Master of the Krumlov Madonna.
The phenomenon known as the Beautiful Style arose in the late 14th century, bringing artistic renown to the Czech Lands. The period of the rule of Vladislaus II of Hungary and Louis II of Hungary is linked with the late Gothic and early Renaissance eras. The Master of the St George Altarpiece, the Master of the Puchner Ark, the Master of the Litoměřice Altarpiece and the brilliant carvers the Master of the Lamentation of Christ from Žebrák and the Master of the Lamentation of Christ from Zvíkov were active at that time. The most recent of the displayed artworks include paintings by the Monogrammist IW from the 1540s, when Renaissance aesthetics prevailed in central Europe.
(Authors: Jiří Fajt, Štěpánka Chlumská. Curator: Štěpánka Chlumská)