Prague, The Crown of Bohemia, 1347-1437 (Metropolitan Museum of Art Series) [Hardcover]

Barbara Drake Boehm (Editor), Jiri Fajt (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Metropolitan Museum of Art Series | Publication Date: October 24, 2005

This beautiful book celebrates the remarkable flowering of art in Prague during the reigns of Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV and his two sons, Wenceslas IV and Sigismund. When crowned king of Bohemia in 1347, Charles vowed to make Prague the cultural rival of Paris and Rome. He rebuilt its castle and began a massive building campaign to glorify Saint Vitus’s Cathedral. In the ensuing century, Prague became not only an imperial but also an intellectual and artistic capital.

In essays and detailed entries on some 240 artworks drawn from American and European collections, an esteemed group of scholars traces the birth of a distinctly Bohemian art in Prague in the mid-fourteenth century and its diffusion throughout Europe over the next hundred years. Panel paintings, goldsmiths’ work, sculpture, stained glass, and illuminated manuscripts bear witness to the wide-ranging achievements of the hundreds of artists who were active in Bohemian lands during this spectacular century. Not since they were created have these magnificent objects been accorded the attention that they deserve on an international stage.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...sumptuous book...extraordinary yet readable detail...There is no comparable English-language title on this subject." (Library Journal )

Book Description

As King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor, Charles IV initiated a spectacular century of artistic achievement in his capital at Prague. This magnificent book celebrates the remarkable flowering of art during the reigns of Charles and his sons, focusing on more than 160 panel paintings, works in gold, sculpture, stained glass, and illuminated manuscripts.

 

 

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Metropolitan Museum of Art (October 24, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 030011138X
• ISBN-13: 978-0300111385
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 9.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,053,660 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #78 in Books > Arts & Photography > Schools, Periods & Styles > Gothic

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Prague, Still One to the Most Beautiful Cities of Europe, October 19, 2005

By 

Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Prague, The Crown of Bohemia, 1347-1437 (Metropolitan Museum of Art Series) (Hardcover)

PRAGUE, THE CROWN OF BOHEMIA, 1347-1437 is a great example of how a catalogue for a museum exhibition can fill a hole in art history. Though visitors still throng to this magnificent city, few know enough about its history in the arts except for a isolated facts like Mozart's 'Prague Symphony'! This beautiful, rich book focuses on the 90-year period when the crowned heads of Bohemia pulled out all stops to make Prague the cultural equal of Paris and Rome. The resulting architecture, sculpture, street vistas, paintings, incomparable stained glass, and even the carved gold antiquities are among the finest examples of the craftsmen's art.

The book highlights many of the works in the Metropolitan Museum exhibition, works gleaned the world over and reproduced here in immaculate color and black and white. The accompanying writing by Barbara Drake Boehm is not only well written and informative, it holds an awe for the subject that makes the concomitant viewing of these masterworks a particular pleasure.

This book and exhibition not only focus on the, for the most part, unknown factual art historical aspects of Prague and Bohemia, it also provides a superb social and political history source for this important region. This is a grand book, highly recommended. Grady Harp, October 05

5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The BEST, February 28, 2006

By 

C. Walker "Mrs.C.Walker" (Indianapolis,IN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Prague, The Crown of Bohemia, 1347-1437 (Metropolitan Museum of Art Series) (Hardcover)

I have this book and bought it as a gift for a relitive..whose has been to Prague.and will be going back again this year.He was thrilled with this gift..and could not say enough about how pleased he was with all the color pictures...This rates as one of the Best on whats being shown now at the Museum...and its just a beautiful book..a very good value.B.W.