Gallery|Exhibition
Šternberk Palace: Old Masters II
The “Old Masters II” collection exhibition follows on from the “Old Masters I” exhibition located in the Schwarzenberg Palace across the street. The two exhibitions complement each other to form a single whole, while also presenting magnificent works of art in different contexts.
The exhibition at the Šternberk Palace continues the historical tradition of presenting masterpieces in this building, which housed the Society of Patriotic Friends of the Arts from 1811 to 1871, the predecessor of today’s National Gallery in Prague. This time, the works will be exhibited in the context of artistic centers and their interconnections. Old Masters II presents the best of the unique collections of the National Gallery in Prague and its partners—for example, a unique collection of icons preserved in Prague that sheds light on the extraordinary personality of the collector Nikodem P. Kondakov. On display is a truly exceptional collection of 14th- and 15th-century Italian painting, most of which was assembled by Francesco Ferdinando d’Este. This collection is the largest body of so-called Italian Primitives preserved outside of Italy itself and offers a glimpse into artistic production in the Italian cities of Siena, Florence, Venice, and Padua.
The collection of early Italian art is followed by an exhibition of Renaissance and Baroque paintings (Alessandro Allori, Jacopo Bassano, Jusepe Ribera). Exceptional collections of Dutch, Flemish, and Dutch painting from the 15th to 18th centuries are represented, with a focus on the artistic output of Antwerp, Amsterdam, Utrecht, and Leiden (Herri met de Bles, Pieter II Brueghel, Peter Paul Rubens, Anthony van Dyck, Rachel Ruysch, Gerard Ter Borch, Frans Hals).
A rare piece is the altarpiece depicting the Crucifixion by Hans Raphon. It is the only fully preserved altarpiece depicting the Passion of Christ in domestic public collections. Central European art is represented by a collection of Nuremberg paintings and selected individual works created in what is now Germany, particularly in the important commercial and artistic region of the Rhineland, dating from the 15th to the 18th centuries (Hans Baldung Grien, Hans Dürer). The exhibition also features artistic works from Germany and Austria created during the 17th and 18th centuries (Georg Flegel, Paul Troger, Johann Carl Loth, Johann Michael Rottmayr). A smaller collection of 17th- and 18th-century French and Spanish art stands out for the significance and quality of the individual works on display (Simon Vouet, Pierre Mignard, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, Francisco José Goya).
Curatorial team: Martina Jandlová Sošková, Olga Kotková, Lucie Němečková
